


Could We Be More

by cheney1317



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-28
Updated: 2013-09-09
Packaged: 2017-12-24 22:43:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/945525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheney1317/pseuds/cheney1317
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex and Tobin have feelings for each other but are scared to admit it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic so let me know what you think.

Alex wakes up and finds the space next to her empty. She longs for the warmth of the other body. She gets up and tosses on a random shirt and heads into the kitchen. She can smell fresh coffee in the air. She makes yourself a cup and heads to the porch. 

 

There she is! Glasses on, Bible in hand, and sipping coffee as she reads. Alex has come to love her morning ritual. It's one of the things she admires about her. "Morning Tobs!" says Alex as Tobin spills some coffee on her shirt after being startled. 

 

"Morning Lex! How did you slee- Hey nice shirt!" Tobin notices that Alex has on one of her UNC shirts, but really she doesn't mind she just likes to give Alex grief. 

 

"Hey at least I didn't spill coffee on it!" Alex responds noticing that Tobin has on her Cal sweatshirt. 

 

The are both lauding when a groggy-eyed Kelley comes walking out the door. "Good morning sleepy head!" Alex says. "Hey Kel, how'd you sleep?" Follows Tobin.

 

"What time is it?" Kelley asks as she tries to wide the sleep from her eyes.

 

"It's almost 9 o'clock. We should all probably start getting ready to go. We need to leave here by 11." Tobin responds knowing that both Kelley and Alex will take a while to get ready.

 

All three head inside and get ready to leave. Tobin jumps in the shower while Alex and Kelley start getting their stuff together. She finishes quickly and comes out of the bathroom in just her towel. "Alex the shower is open." Alex just stares at Tobin, she cannot get over how sculpted the midfielder's body is. "Alex!"

 

"Yeah, sorry! I'm going" Alex is blushing now that Tobin notices her staring. She heads for the bathroom to escape the embarrassment. 

 

Tobin is thinking about Alex when Kelly pops in. "Hey buddy what are you thinking about?"

 

"Nothing Kel, you almost ready to go?" Tobin tries to change the subject. 

 

"Nice try Tobs! Did you talk to her?" Kelley isn't going to let Tobin off that easily. Kelley  
knows that ever since they all moved in together, Tobin and Alex had started forming a bond more than a friendship. They each have their own room, yet every morning they wake up next to each other, in one bed. They share each others clothes, and they are practically inseparable. They are made for each other, but neither is willing to admit it or talk to the other. 

 

"Kelley I can't talk to her. We are just best friends. She is Alex Morgan, super star forward, and I am Tobin Heath, the midfielder. I cannot talk to her about anything, she needs to shine." Tobin has started to have deeper feelings for her friend, but she only wants her to be happy. Alex has so much going for her right now and Tobin just want to see her be successful and not get in the way of anything.

 

They hear the shower go off and the gather their things and take them to the car. Alex follows them out a few minutes later and they start packing up. Tobin's small duffel fits easily, but Alex and Kelley's take a lot more forcing until the the car is ready to go. When they are finally pulling out of the drive way, they blast the music and jam all the way to the airport. 

 

Once they get to the airport they park the car and go inside. After they are checked in and through security they just have to wait for their flight to be called. Alex takes a call from her agent and Kelley starts to doze off. Tobin decides to shoot Lauren a text:

 

Hey Chen! Can't wait 2 see u guys! What time do you land??

 

Tobin put her phone down and her eyes wander and watch the people around her. Her eyes fall on Alex and stay fixed there. She thinks about how wonderful she is and that she is such an amazing friend. Could she be more than a frie- her phone goes off! She reads the text from Lauren. 

 

Tobs!! Cannot wait to be reunited with my new kid! We get in at 3 what about u?

 

Tobin responds that they will land around 4 and her eyes wander again. This time she can't find Alex. Their fight get called to board and Tobin wakes Kelley and asks where Alex is. 

 

"Tobin!" Alex pops out of nowhere and scares Tobin. Tobin drops her stuff all over the floor. 

 

"Alex you scared the crap out of me" as she bends over to pick up her stuff.

 

"I know I totally got you!" Alex says proudly.

 

When the get on the plane and find their seats, Tobin unlocks her phone to turn it off and reads a text from Lauren:

 

Great we will wait for you guys before we head to the hotel! Hey how are you and Alex;)

 

Since Tobin had started to feel something about Alex she had confided a lot in Lauren and Kelley. Se really appreciated their support, but sometimes wished the would back of and let things happen in their own time. Se responded to Lauren and turned her phone off for the flight. 

 

Kelley, Alex, and I are all doing great:) see you at 4!

 

"Where you texting?" Alex asked curiously as the pilot was pulling away towards the runway. 

 

"Cheney wanted to know what time we were getting in. They get in at 3 so they are going to wait for us before they go over to the hotel." Tobin responds, leaving out the part about her and Alex. 

 

"Cool! I'm so excited to see everybody." Alex says. As the plane starts to speed up she tenses at the feeling. Tobin offers her hand for comfort and Alex intertwines their finger without a second thought. 

 

When they are finally in the air, Kelley crashes against the window and Alex starts to nod off, but she has nowhere to lay her head so it keeps bobbing up and down. Tobin giggles and offers her shoulder for Alex. 

 

"Thank upon Tobin." Alex whispers as she drifts off to sleep.

 

Tobin lets her mind wander as she thinks about the girl resting on her shoulder. Alex is her best friend and the go so well together. Could they be more than friends? What if Alex felt the same way? Tobin get that out of your head! Tobin knew Alex needed to focus. They were here to play a big game against big rivals. Tobin just wants Alex to be happy and she will do what ever it takes, even hiding her feelings, as long as Alex is successful. 

 

But the time Tobin snaps out of it, they are landing. Once the plane stops at the gate she nudges Alex and then Kelley. They all get up and walk off the plane. When they spot Lauren, Sydney, and Kristie they all run to each other screaming and laughing. They all hug and exchange laughter. Lauren gives Alex an extra long hug followed by Tobin and gives a suspecting eye. 

 

"Hey Tobs! I missed you how was your flight?" Lauren asks, hinting at how things went with Alex. 

 

"It was good. Let's go get our bags so we can go to the hotel." Tobin brushed off Lauren's comment.

 

They all headed to the baggage claim. Tobin grabbed he bag and Alex's bag and Lauren grabbed Kelley's bag. The two girls thanked them and they all headed to the van that would take them to the team hotel. When I got there they got their room assignments and headed to the rooms.


	2. Could We Be More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Tobin continue to dance around their feelings

Alex was happy to be with Lauren because she wanted to talk to her about some things. Lauren wanted to start talking to Alex about Tobin. Tobin and Kelley were together and they were happy because they both wanted to talk about Alex. The rest of the evening was uneventful. Everyone sat around and caught up as people arrived at the hotel. Before they knew it, it was getting pretty late so they all headed to bed knowing they would start training hard in the morning. 

Training the next day is as expected. Tom talks to the team about the expectations for the upcoming game against Canada. Dawn runs the team through some fitness tests to prepare for the match. They end practice with a grueling 5v5 transition. Tobin and Alex are on the same team and every few minutes they connect for a moment of beauty on the pitch, connecting past defenders and getting the ball into the back of the net. By the end of training everyone is exhausted after working so hard. 

After training, everyone went back to the hotel and got showered and ate. Some of the girls wanted to watch a movie so everyone gathered in Lauren and Alex's room. Tobin immediately found Alex and they two of them cuddled up under Alex's blanket. Lauren and Kelley shared a blanket and Kristie and Syd were together. Everyone else was sprawled throughout the room.  Once they chose a movie everyone got nestled in their spots. As the movie started Alex rested her head on Tobin's chest and began to draw circles on her stomach. Tobin got chills with Alex's touch, she liked it. It made her wonder what Alex was feeling. She disregarded her brain and enjoyed her teammates and the movie, resting her head against Alex's. 

When Tobin wakes up, her phone says it's 2 o'clock in the morning. She looks around the room and there are girls scattered everywhere and Alex is still asleep on her chest. The must have all fallen asleep during the movie. They did have a hard day of training. Tobin decides to shut her eyes and go back to sleep, enjoying the moment!

"Tobin, Alex wake up! Everyone up!!" Christie comes into the room and wakes all the sleeping girls. "Rise and shine ladies, time to get ready for breakfast, then training."

"C'mon mom! 5 more minutes!" Syd jokes.

They all head back to their rooms, surprisingly refreshed from a long nights sleep. 

"Alex, you looked awfully comfy last night!" Lauren calls to Alex as she gets ready in the bathroom. "How did you and Tobin sleep?"

"Tobin makes a great pillow. I sleep wonderfully!" Alex responds. "Why? Are you trying to get at something with me and Tobin?" Alex was really thinking about how amazing she felt to be so close to Tobin all night. It was one of better nights of sleep.

"No. No. You too just looked mighty cozy together! If you know what I mean!" Lauren wanted Alex to take the bait so she could talk to her about Tobin. 

"Whatever Chen! C'mon lets go eat so we can play some soccer!"

They all eat a quick breakfast and board the bus for practice. As usual, Tobin and Alex sit next to each other. "Thanks for letting me sleep on you last night Tobs! I slept really well!" Alex wants Tobin to know how much she enjoyed last night. 

"No problem Lex, it was a fun night!"

After that the bus ride was mostly silent as the team prepared for another hard day of training. 

The team trained really hard again today. Drills and small sided games. Physical battles and mental battles. The morning session was more fitness and be afternoon session was more playing. When Tom finally said practice was over, bodies sprawled across the field. After a few minutes of resting the team started to gather their gear and head to the bus. The bus ride back was very quiet, several girls fell asleep. 

When they got back to the hotel they had an hour to kill before dinner so everyone retreated to their rooms to shower and clean up. Alex made it back to the room first so she jumped in the shower. Then Lauren got in, and while Alex was changing there was a knock on the door. Alex grabbed her shirt, pulled it over her head, and opened the door to find Tobin.

"Took you long enough! You wanna play a few rounds of monop deal before we go down to dinner?" Tobin asked. She felt like she hadn't really gotten to interact with Alex outside of soccer all day and now she just wanted to hang out with her.

"You're on Tobs!" Alex let Tobin in and the plopped on her bed and began playing. 

When Lauren got out of the bathroom she couldn't help but laugh when she found the two at it again. "You two just can't stay away can you? Just one hour and you're already competing with each other again!" 

"What can we say, we love a little friendly competition!" Tobin responded.  

When Lauren was ready they all headed down to dinner. Dinner was pretty quite. Everyone was pretty tired from the hard training and just wanted to replenish their strengths. After dinner there was a team meeting. As everyone filed in, Tobin and Alex found seats next to each other. During the meeting Tom talked about the things noticed in practice and the schedule for trading the next day. Once he finished, everyone headed off to their rooms to get some welcomed rest. As Lauren and Alex entered their room, Alex called out to Tobin, "goodnight Tobs! See you in the morning."

"Good night Lex! Good night Cheney!" Tobin responded.

Lauren wanted to say something to Alex about her and Tobin, but she was so tired. She decided to leave that conversation until tomorrow when she would have more energy. 

The next morning, Lauren woke up before Alex. She went over to the forward's bed to wake her, when the speaking stopped her in her tracks. Alex was sleep talking and she was calling Tobin's name. This would give Lauren the ammo she needed to confront Alex. She woke up Alex and they both got ready and went downstairs for breakfast and training. Alex and Tobin found each other as usual and the day went as aspected. The players all trained really hard and were exhausted by the end of the day. 

When they got back to the hotel, they retreated to their rooms to clean up. When Lauren got done in the bathroom she found Alex sprawled out in her bed drifting off to sleep. She sat down next to her and nudged the resting forward. 

"Is it time to go downstairs Cheney?" Alex asked as she woke up. 

"No not yet. Listen I wanted to talk to you about something." Alex sat up immediately, curious about what Lauren wanted to say. "Ok, so recently Kelley and I have noticed that-" Lauren is stopped by a knock at the door. She gets up to open it and finds the tan midfielder in front of her.

"Hey Chen! Is Alex out of the shower?" Tobin asked. Alex got up off the bed at the sound of her friend's voice.

"Yeah she is." Lauren responded as Alex was now right next to her at the door. 

"Hey! I thought we'd go down to dinner now and get our seats and hang until it's time to eat." Tobin said, more to Alex than to Lauren. 

"Yeah let's go!" Alex said happily. Lauren hesitated. "Lauren you coming?" Alex asked.

"Yeah I'll be right down." She said. Alex remembers that Lauren had wanted to talk to her about something. "Hey we can finish this discussion after dinner, ok?"  
"Sounds good. I'll be down in a few." Lauren said as her mood had suddenly dampened. 

Alex and Tobin went downstairs, arm in arm, and Lauren headed right for Kelley's room. She found Kelley leaving her to go downstairs but stopped her before she could go anywhere. "Kelley, did you have any luck with Tobin? I can't get Alex to talk to me." 

"Nope! Every time I try to talk about it she finds a way to leave the room. It's getting quite annoying!" Kelley answers. 

"I know! I think Tobin just comes right to our room and takes Alex away from me. We need a plan to keep them in our rooms so we can talk to them." Lauren says. 

"Well we kind of already know where Tobin stands from what I got out of her before we got to camp. I think she is realizing that she really does have some feelings for Alex, but Alexis shining right now and she doesn't want to do anything to hurt Alex. All she wants is for Alex to be happy." Kelley fills Lauren in. 

"Ok well it's good that we know where Tobin stands. If you can find anything else out that'd be great and I will work on Alex when we go back to the room tonight. She already knows that I want to talk to her about something." Lauren says as they walk into the dining hall. 

Dinner was uneventful. Everyone spread out among the tables and enjoyed the company of their teammates. After dinner they had another team meeting. Tom told them that he was happy with how hard they had worked the last few days of practice and that they were looking pretty solid for the Canada game. He said they would do their normal pre game practice and preparation tomorrow for the game the next day. At the end of the meeting Dawn stood up and told the team that they should head to bed soon and not to stay up too late. They were all tired from the double days and they needed to recover before the game. With that all the girls said their good nights and headed upstairs.

On the way up, Tobin was walking with Megan and Syd and joking about stuff. Alex was a little behind them with Abby and HAO. Lauren was right behind them and she couldn't help but notice that the entire way back to their rooms, Alex's eyes were fixed on Tobin. Every time Tobin would start laughing at Megan or Syd, Alex's face would light up into a smile. Lauren knew she needed to talk to Alex.

Once Alex plopped into her bed for the night she remembered that Lauren had wanted to talk to her about something. "Hey Chen what did you want to talk to me about earlier?"

Lauren couldn't think of a good way to start the conversation, so she just came out with it. "Alex, since you, Tobin, and Kelley all moved in together Kelley and I have noticed some changes, good changes. You and Tobin both seem to be happier, especially when you're together, which is like all the time. So I was just wondering what or if there was something going on?"

Alex was kind of stunned that someone had actually noticed and brought it up. "Um, I mean I think Tobin and I have grown a lot closer just as friends and have really gotten to know each other." Alex really was stating to have feelings for Tobin, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to admit it to anyone besides herself. 

"Listen, I just want you to know that I am here for you if you ever want to talk or need anything." Lauren wanted Alex to know that she could be there for Alex. 

"Thank you Lauren, I really appreciate it." Alex really was happy to have Lauren with her. There was a long pause and Alex knew she should confide in Lauren. "Cheney, how did you know you were in love and Jrue was the one?"

Lauren's stomach flipped at Alex's question. She was so happy that Alex finally talked to her. "When I met Jrue, I knew he was special. He was my best friend and I felt completely myself when I was with him. I can talk to him about anything and do anything with him and be happy. Once we started dating I realized the only thing I would ever need in my life to be happy was to be with him. When he asked me to spend the rest of my life with him, there was no doubt in my mind that he was the one that I loved with all my heart and the one I wanted to be with forever."

"Wow, that was beautiful!" Alex said, as Lauren started to turn a little red. 

"Why do you ask?" Lauren already k we the answer to that question, but she need to let Alex come out with it. 

"I think I am starting to feel something for Tobin. When I am with her I feel complete. I never have to hide anything from her and I am myself. The smallest things about her make me happy. She is so strong and true to herself and her faith. She will never anything change her and she has a unique love for life. I love all these things about her and yet all need is to be with her to be happy. Just laying with her and having her warmth around me makes me the happiest person in the world. I know it's a lot, but what does all that mean?" Alex had just unloaded on Lauren, but Lauren was hoping for that. 

"Alex, I think if you feel that strongly about her you need t tell her how you feel. Tell her how happy she makes you feel." Then Lauren gets cut off by Alex.

"Cheney,  I can't tell her how I feel. I can't interfere with her life like that. She is starting to really shine on this team and her life is going really well right now. It would be selfish of me to intrude on her."

"But if you truly feel that way about her then you owe int to her to let her know. And what if you make her feel that way too. There is no way to know unless you tell her." Lauren responded. 

"I just don't think I can Chen. Shouldn't I just let it play out? And if it is truly meant to happen, that Tobs and I will be together, won't it all work out in its own time?" Alex didn't know what to do and it scared her. 

"Yeah I guess it will. You just need to get some rest and think about it. Don't let it wait for too long though. I don't want you to wait until it's too late. Good night Alex!" Lauren knew Alex was scared, but she also knew she needed to get sleep. 

"Good night Lauren. thank you!" Alex said as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, wishing Tobin was next to her to comfort her. 

The next day is like a normal pre game day. Everyone eats and gets on the bus for a light training. Kelley asks Lauren about her talk with Alex. Lauren tells her it is a success and that she will tell her about it later.  At training they do their warm up and come Tom to get instructions. He tells them that they will do some walk throughs and get touches. Then he wants to end with a soccer tennis tournament to bring some fun into training. He knows they have been working working really hard and they need to end on a fun note before the game.

As they go through practice, Alex cannot get her mind of Tobin. She is so perfect on the field and off the field. Alex tells herself to stop thinking about it, to focus on the task at hand. She needs to focus on playing well and scoring goals against their rivals Canada. For the tournament Alex and Tobin are partners. They end up making it to the finals against Megan and Kelley. Everyone is cheering them on and in the end Megan and Kelley pull the upset over Tobin and Kelley. Then the upbeat team heads back to the hotel for recovery, relaxation, and meetings before the big game. On the way back Tobin noticed that Alex seems caught up in her thoughts. "Alex what's wrong? What are you thinking about?"

"I just now that I need to score goals tomorrow. We need to win this game." Alex didn't want to tell Tobin that she was really thinking about her, but she also was thinking about the game and how the pressure was on her to score for the team. Tobin held Alex's hand and told her that she would be great. 

Lauren tells Kelley what happened the night before and Kelley is ecstatic about it. But Lauren tells her that she has to Alex go and do what she wants. Kelley tells Lauren that Tobin hadn't budged anymore on admitting her feelings. The knew that for the time being, they just had to wait. 

At the team meeting that night Tom announced that starters for the game. Tobin and Alex were both starting and they were really happy that the would get to play with each other. The team was happy too because they all knew how well those two played together on the left side. When the roster was announced everyone felt really strong about their chances in the game.  
Everyone sat around and talked for a while, but soon people began heading to bed. 

Tobin and Alex were some of the first to leave. They got to Alex's room first. Tobin gave her a big hug. They lingered there for a few extra moments. Then Tobin whispered in Alex's ear, "good night Lex. Get some rest, we will dominate together tomorrow!"

"Good night Tobin. I'll see you tomorrow!" Alex responded with a big grin on her face. She was so happy that she always had Tobin to lift her up.

When Lauren came into the room, Alex had her headphones on and was laying in her bed. Lauren got ready to go to sleep and laid down. Before she turned her light of, Alex took her headphones off to talk to her. "Lauren, I think I need to tell Tobin. But I don't know when or how."

As Lauren's lips turned up into a smile Lauren told Alex, "don't worry you will know when the time is right to tell her. Everything will all be okay. Get some sleep tomorrow is a big day!" 

With that Lauren turned off the light and both girls feel asleep dreaming of the day to come.


	3. Could We Be More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex knows she needs to tell Tobin, but is it too late?

The next morning Alex wakes up and feels very well rested. She and Lauren go downstairs for team breakfast and a meeting. 

 

"Do I tell her today, Lauren?" Alex asked as they walked out the door. 

 

"I don't know. Do you feel like now is the time? I think you will know exactly when you should tell her." Lauren responded as the elevator doors opened. Right before they closed someone came running in. Alex and Lauren chuckled as Tobin barely made it is before the doors closed. 

 

"Running a little late Toby?" Lauren joked. She eyed Alex to see if she was okay. Alex was surprised at how comfortable she still was around Tobin even though she was struggling with telling her her feelings.

 

They went downstairs and met the team for breakfast. The mood was light and everyone was trying to stay calm before the big game. Alex let the thoughts of Tobin leave her mind because she knew she needed to focus in the game, her team needed her to be ready to play big today. 

 

Tobin was chill as usual. She enjoyed everyone's company and being with her team. She especially loved just being around Alex. It made her calm and ready for the game. Alex's focus in big moments made it easier for her to focus on her tasks. This is what helped them be so great together. 

 

The time before the game went normally. Each player got themselves prepared for the game in their own ways. Most of the team was not too thrilled that there were clouds in the sky and rain in the forecast. Then they got on the bus to head to the stadium. Most of the players had head phones in and were focusing in the task at hand. Tobin stared out the window, looking at the clouds, as she listened to her music. Alex had her pump up music blaring and her eyes closed visualizing what she need to do to win the game. There was an intense focus from the entire team. 

 

Once they got into the locker room, they got lost in their pre game festivities. Lauren had the music blaring. Syd, Pinoe, and Abby were dancing all over the place. Alex was visualizing and occasionally joined in the dancing. Tobin sat on the floor, headphones in, and head bobbing to the beat. Just before the started to line up to go out, Lauren found Alex. "Hey today I just want you to focus on soccer. Everything else will come. You are the best and nothing will change that." Alex smiled at the support she had from her friend.

 

The team walked out of the tunnel. The entire way out, Tobin's eyes were locked on Alex. She was focusing on her game. On how she would play with Alex, getting her the ball, getting her the goal. She was happy she got to play with Alex. Everything just clicked when they were on the field together. 

 

As the introductions and anthems ended, Abby pulled her team together one final time. She told them it was going to be a grind and very physical. Everyone needed to be there for each other and fight for everything. Then everyone took their starting spots. Alex looked to her left and was immediately comforted to find the soft eyes of Tobin. They both nodded at one another with silent understanding. They were in it together. Maybe Alex should tell Tobin how she feels. Alex removed the thoughts of her feelings for Tobin for after the game because for now, they each needed to focus on their game.

 

Everyone on the field, on the sidelines, and in the stands expected the game to be a physical battle, but no one expected it to be this bad. Any time a player received a ball they had to fend off several defenders. Each team fought to the death for every single ball. There was so much battle for possession in the middle that there were few scoring opportunities as the first half went on. Because of Tobin's speed with the ball and accuracy she was able to get around and penetrate the Canadian defense. She played balls through but each attack was thwarted with a clear or a brutal tackle on the ball. When Canada caught on to Tobin, they found the only way to stop her was to foul her. 

 

Even with a Canadian defender on her, she used her passing accuracy to defy them. As the end of the half neared, Tobin and Alex started to link together. With two minutes left before the whistle, Christie again denied Christine Sinclair a shot attempt and played a ball up to Lauren. Lauren slid a ball through to Tobin, who easily nutmeged the defender and sent a perfectly weighted ball over for Alex to run on to. She did what Alex Morgan does and used her speed and athleticism to get around and sent a left footed screamer into the back of the net. United States 1, Canada 0! 

 

Alex turned and sprinted toward Tobin and the rest of the team sprinted to them. Alex and Tobin met in a long, deep hug with their teammates converging on them. Everyone was ecstatic to go into halftime with the lead. It allowed them to keep their heads up through all the physicality. Canada went into the half with anger in their eyes that they had let the Americans score so close to half. 

 

As the teams came out of the locker rooms, a steady rain started to fall. When the second half started, the Canadians showed they were not going to go down easily. They sent numbers with every attack. Tobin continued to wreak havoc down the left side. Finally Canada put their most brutal player on her, Melissa Tancredi. The team worked Tobin the ball, but every time she got near it, Tancredi was all over her. She hit the ground hard several times and it was starting to wear on her. 

 

In the sixtieth minute of the game Canada had a counter that was sent out for a corner kick. Both teams lined up for the corner, Tobin opposite Tancredi. As the ball was sent in they both leapt for the ball. The bigger Tancredi barreled through Tobin, who hit the   
ground hard. The ball made it to Christine Sinclair and she sent it into the goal. United States 1, Canada 1.

 

Many of the players wanted a foul before the goal. As her teammates helped Tobin up off the ground, Abby was up in the face of the referee. Lauren and Alex asked Tobin if she was okay. Tobin told them that she had just gotten the wind knocked out of her. Abby was given a warning and Tobin waved off the team trainer. She knew she could play through it. Alex was nervous for Tobin. She kept watching Tobin get hit and she could tell hat last one had hurt her.

 

The teams continued to battle. Because of the rain the fouls were harder and happened more often. Tempers started to flair. On a corner, Cheney sent a high floater back post to Abby, who ran through the back of the defender into the post. Abby was given a yellow card for the play and from there things started to get really ugly.

 

A ball was sent wide to Tobin, but her trap was broken up by a high kick that hit her right in the knee and thigh. Tobin went to the ground and was quickly swarmed by Alex and her other teammates. Tobin said she was fine, though she had a large cleat mark up her leg. As Kelley helped her up, Alex turned to the referee and was urging her to give the Canadian a card. With no card given, the game continued. 

Time started to dwindle. With just over fifteen minutes left in the match Canada had an attack. Hope made an incredible save an quickly distributed the ball to Carli. This time Tobin was free because Tancredi had gone up with the attack. Carli found Tobin long and she dribbled down the sideline. Tancredi rushed to catch up, but just as got to Tobin she cut it back, avioding the sliding tackle and sent the ball across to Alex and Abby. Abby got her head on it, but it pinged off the cross bar. Alex went for the rebound, but somehow Erin McCleod tipped the ball out for a corner kick. 

 

Both teams lined up for the corner, knowing that this could be a major opportunity to finish the game. The Americans crowded the box to create as much confusion as possible. Alex was lined up on McCleod. Abby was ready to go back post. Lauren, Tobin, and everyone else was ready to run through the middle and try to get a touch on anything. Pinoe set the ball up, took a look at her teammates, raised her hand, and sent a driving ball in. 

 

It all happened in slow motion. There was a lot of jostling in the box once the ball was played. Tobin could see that the ball was not going to make it all the way back to Abby. She cut her run through the middle towards the near post. Tancredi also read the ball she made a similar run to Tobin. Just as Tobin leapt for the ball the Canadian player tried to deny her. She made contact with the ball, but paid a price. Tobin was initially hit on the let side of her face, but hit in the side as she was smashed between two defenders, jolting her body in several directions. The ball flew threw the air and just as McCleod was about to tap it out for another corner, Alex got a toe around it to tap it into the back of the net. United States 2, Canada 1.

 

Alex ran to get the ball she had just scored and celebrate with her team. Tobin remained on the ground.


	4. Could We Be More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath and Alex fights to tell Tobin how she feels.

Alex POV  
The crowd erupted in elation at the late goal, but as Alex turned to swarm her teammates she saw her. Tobin lay motionless in the box. Lauren was bending down over her. The referee looked at Lauren to see if she should signal for the trainers. Was Tobin okay? What had happened?

 

Lauren POV  
Lauren was the first one to reach Tobin. She was on the ground, limp and still, with her face in the grass. As Lauren knelt down to check on her she knew something was wrong. Tobin's eyes were closed and she still wasn't moving. When Lauren rolled her over, Tobin's face was bloody and more blood was pouring out. Immediately Lauren motioned that the trainers needed to be there fast! She lay one hand over Tobin's forehead to stop the bleeding and used the other to stroke the midfielder's head to try to wake her. Suddenly her eye shot open.

 

"Tobin! Tobin! Can you hear me? Everything is going to be alright." Lauren tried to calm Tobin

 

Tobin POV  
Everything was still. She couldn't feel anything. All she heard was a ringing in her ears. As Tobin looked up she saw Lauren, a look of deep fear in her eyes. This scared Tobin. As the rain fell onto her all she could see was red. She couldn't move and was having a hard time breathing. She gasped for breath, but her lungs would not fill. Lauren spoke to her and laid her hand on Tobin's stomach. She was trying to help her breath. Even though she couldn't understand, Tobin felt a sense of security with her teammate by her side. 

 

Alex POV  
Alex sprinted over to the crowd that was forming around Tobin. All she could see a lot of blood and she heard Tobin gasping for breath. Alex had never felt so scared or helpless in her life. The players were pushed out of the way as the trainers ran through. Kelley moved next to Alex and offered a comforting hand. 

 

Tobin POV  
Tobin's vision of Lauren and the rest of her teammates overs her was starting to get fuzzy. The ringing in her ears continued. All of a sudden the familiar faces of the trainers were around her and Lauren was forced to let them work. Tobin longed for a friend to be by her side. 

 

Lauren POV  
Lauren was scared. Usually Tobin was chill and in control. Now the look of fear and helplessness in her eyes was what scared Lauren the most. Lauren had to move to let the trainers work. The next thing she knew Abby was next to her comforting her. 

 

"Lauren, come over here for a second." Abby said motioning her to move towards the trainer. Then Lauren noticed what Abby was doing. She looked down and still had blood on her hands from when she tried to stop the bleeding. The trainer washed it off and they went back to the team, continuing to watch Tobin. 

 

Next a medical team was running over with a stretcher and an oxygen tank. 

 

Tobin POV  
More people were around her and she didn't recognize them. They started putting things on her. She felt a pull in her neck as they put a brace on and her vision was starting to go blurry again. 

 

"Tobin, I need you to stay awake for me! Look at me! You're going to be okay." The EMT was trying to get her to stay awake. 

 

Tobin felt relieved when they placed an oxygen mask over her mouth. The were also putting things over her face so she could only see out of one eye. Tobin focused on staying awake. She started looking around and stopped when she saw Alex standing beside Kelley. Alex looked so scared and Tobin felt bad for making her feel this way. Tobin couldn't get her mind off Alex. She couldn't let things go unsaid. She knew she needed to tell Alex that she was in love with her. 

 

Alex POV  
Alex stood there watching Tobin, angry that she couldn't do anything for her. Lauren came over to her after she got cleaned up and held her hand. As the EMTs put a brace around Tobin's neck and an oxygen mask on her, Alex met Tobin's eyes. Tobin never moved, but Alex could see some life in her friends eyes. Alex tried to contain her emotions for after the game, but she was starting to lose it. She felt tears come to her eyes and her breath leave her. As she grasped Lauren's hand she bent over. She felt like she was going to pass out. Lauren put her hand on Alex's back and tried to calm her down. 

 

"Alex, It's okay. Tobin is alive and she is strong. I'm sure she will fine." Alex started to calm down. They turned and watched as the EMTs put Tobin on the stretcher and carried her off the field. The team stood there lost for words.

 

Abby and Christie pulled everyone together and told them that now they needed to focus on finishing the game, for Tobin. Everyone agreed and returned to their positions. Lauren and Alex nodded to each other and took their spots. The referee put the ball in the center circle for Canada and blew her whistle. 

 

The rest of the game was a blur. The Americans wanted the game to be over as quickly as possible so that they could check on Tobin. The Canadians kept pushing, but the referee was now calling everything. There was never another real chance on goal and the US won 2-1. After the game the teams quickly shook hands, even though everyone was angry about the events of the game. When they got back to the locker room they were told that everyone had to go back on the bus to the hotel before anyone could think about seeing Tobin. With that, the team all got showered and dressed very fast and headed back to the hotel. 

 

Alex sat alone on the bus. She had her headphones in, but she wasn't really listening to the music. All she could think about was Tobin and how scared she was. 

 

Tobin POV  
Tobin was lifted into the back of the ambulance. She just stared at the ceiling as the EMT hooked her up to the machines and put an iv in her arm. Tobin's head hurt a lot. All she could think about was Alex. She started to tell the EMT that she needed to go back for Alex. The EMT knew that Tobin was delirious from the blow she had taken to her head and he tried to calm her down. Tobin called out for Alex several times and she was getting really worked up. She started to feel even worse. Then she noticed the man put something in her iv. Immediately she felt even more tired and heavy than she had ever felt. She was asleep from the sedative.

 

The team returned to the hotel and was told to take their stuff to their rooms and one back down if they wanted to go to the hospital. Within five minutes every player was back in the lobby ready to go.when they go to the hospital, everyone waiting in the waiting room while Christie went to find Tobin. The room was very quiet as they awaited the news of Tobin. Alex was having a hard time waiting. 

 

"I can't wait anymore! Where is she!" Alex shot out of her chair, yelling half at the nurses and half at her teammates. 

 

"Alex calm down! Pearcie just went to find out where she is." Abby said from her corner spot. Lauren and Kelley brought Alex back to her seat. 

 

Before they knew it, Christie came walking around the corner with a woman in a white coat next to her. 

 

"Only a few people can come in now. How about Alex and Cheney for now?" Everyone nodded in agreement. Alex and Lauren quickly stood and walked away with Christie and the doctor. As they walked through the hallways the doctor explained what was happening.

 

"Ms Heath has suffered a head injury and has several contusions. She has a pretty serious concussion and was in and out of consciousness. The EMTs had to give her a sedative during the drive because she became delirious and hysterical. She has a large cut on the left side of her face and along the side of her head and she suffered some bruised ribs." The doctor explained what Tobin's injuries were. 

 

"Did you see what happened?" Lauren asked the doctor.

 

"Your video guys sent us the video of the accident and that helped us determine some of the injuries. She will probably have some bruising throughout her body. She was pretty badly beaten up in the game." The doctor said as all three of the women cringed at the thought of the horrible game. Then they were outside of Tobin's room.

 

"You all need to be prepared Tobin doesn't look like herself right now, but she will get better." The doctor wanted them to be ready. 

 

As the doctor opened the door and they walked in, Alex stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Tobin. Half of her head was covered in bandages and her tan skin was pale. The room was silent except for the beeping of machines and breathing of the oxygen over Tobin's mouth. 

 

"I'll give you three some time." The doctor said as she turned to leave.

 

"Wait!" Alex called out. "What happens now?" Alex was almost scared to know. 

 

"We have to watch her. She should wake up in a little while as the sedative wears off. We need to keep her for observation for a few days. The only thing I'm really worried about is the left side of her head. Because she was hit and knocked to the ground there were two points of impact so we will need to run some testing once she is awake. I'll be around checking on patients. The nurses will be in and out." The the doctor left the room.

 

Then they were alone with Tobin. Lauren and Alex planted themselves on both sides of Tobin and Christie took a seat in the corner. She didn't want to leave them alone (being like the team mom.) 

 

"Why don't you guys talk to her." Christie suggested, she was getting uneasy by the silence. "Tell her about the second goal and how it was because of her." Alex looked at Tobin and had no idea what to say.

 

"Hey Tobs!" Lauren started the conversation. "You did so good in the game today. You know we won because of you right?" Tears started to come to her eyes and she stopped to compose herself.

 

"Yeah, you totally set up the goal! And you dominated the left side the whole game. You megged so many of them! I don't think they have every felt so humiliated by one player." Alex paused for second after helping Lauren talk to Tobin. She held Tobin's hand tight in hers. "Tobin please wake up! You need to be alright." 

 

Lauren looked at Christie who got the cue to leave the room. "I'm going to let the team know what's going on."

 

Lauren went to the other side of the bed and got really close to Alex. "Tell her how you feel Alex."

 

"Cheney she can't even hear me, what's the point?" Alex said

 

"We'll then it can be practice for when she wakes up." Lauren eyed Alex.

 

Alex looked at Tobin with sad eyes, pondering how to tell her that she loved her. Then everything just came flying out. "Tobin you have to wake up. I need you to wake up." Alex was sobbing. "You are my best friend and I love everything about you. I love you so much and I am nothing without you. I cannot live without you!" She kept a strong hold on Tobin's hand, then she dropped it when Lauren wrapped her arms around Alex. Lauren held Lex for a while as she cried and kept holding her tight even when she had stopped. They sat there for a while longer. Until they noticed Tobin's fingers start to move. 

 

"Tobin! Tobin! Tobin can you hear me?" Alex was calling out to Tobin.


	5. Could We Be More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobin fights to see Alex again and is greeted with the harsh reality of her condition.

Tobin POV  
"Why can't I move? Why does my body hurt so bad? Wow my heads hurts!" Thoughts were running through Tobin's head. She could feel a strong grip on her hand, but she couldn't give anything back. Slowly she began to hear words, but she couldn't put them together. The grip on her hand began to tighten and she began to hear sobs. She could finally understand the words:

"Tobin you have to wake up. I need you to wake up. You are my best friend and I love everything about you. I love you so much and I am nothing without you. I cannot live without you!" Alex was speaking these words to Tobin. Now Tobin began to feel lighter, and she gave every ounce of energy she had to let Alex know she was there with her. Tobin could hear Alex calling for her to wake up, but she couldn't muster the energy to open her eyes. Then Tobin heard Lauren's voice say she was going to get the doctor. 

Alex POV  
Tobin had definitely moved her hand. Alex knew she could wake up, but Tobin wouldn't open her eyes. When Lauren came back into the room she was followed by the doctor and a nurse. The doctor walked over to Tobin and used a light to check her eye for a response. 

"Her right pupil is responding. Her left eye isn't responding how I would like but it could just be temporary. I will have to check in the morning. She should be up soon. She is still too weak from the sedative and trauma to open her eyes." This calmed Alex down a little. "If anything happens we will be right back."

Alex planted herself back next to Tobin, with Lauren on the other side. Alex traced circles around Tobin's sickly hands waiting for some form of life from the midfielder. Alex longed to see her deep brown eyes and lively smile.

Tobin POV  
Tobin felt cold fingers on her eye. Then a bright light was shining in them and immediately sharp pain shot through head and down her spine. She heard more talking around her and she was happy to hear that she be able to open her eyes soon. All she wanted was the comfort she got from Alex. Slowly Tobin began to feel lighter and lighter but she didn't feel any stronger. She felt as if she could force her eyes open for Alex.

Again she was blinded by the light, but this time it was the light of the hospital room. She continued to try to open them. She had to see Alex, no matter how much it hurt her head it was worth it to see Alex again. When her eyes finally started to open she saw Alex, her head down resting on the bed. She looked over at Lauren who was reading a magazine. Tobin tried to move to get their attention. She felt as if she had moved a mountain but really she had only twitched her fingers, but it was enough.

"Tobin! Can you hear me?" Lauren had seen Tobin's hand move and was now calling out to her. Alex heard Lauren call out to Tobin and she sat up abruptly. When she saw Tobin's eyes her heart raced and she held her hand tight. Lauren ran out of the room to get the doctor. 

"Hey Tobs! How are you feeling?" Alex held Tobin close to her as Tobin looked at her with confusion. Tobin tried to speak, but nothing would come out. She was feeling a little stronger now and was able to smile at Alex, maybe she could say something. Before Tobin could try to get anything out the doctor walked in with Lauren and a nurse. 

"Hello Tobin, I'm Dr. Patel. You were had an accident during your game and now you're in the hospital. How are you feeling?" The doctor asked Tobin.

"My head hurts really bad and I feel like I can't move." Tobin rasped between long breaths. "Why can't I see right?" 

"Tobin you look a serious blow to the head during the game. You were knocked unconscious and faded in and out for almost an hour before you became delirious. That explains why your head hurts. The way you were hit throughout the game explains why you pain through your body. You have a bandage over your eye because you have a cut on your head" The doctor tried explain the situation to Tobin. 

Tobin was still confused. She started to get restless in her bed. She moved her hands up to her face and felt the bandage covering her eye. "What happened to my head? I need to get these things off me! Can I see?" Tobin began to panic and thrash around. The nurse and Alex and Lauren tried to calm her down, but the beeping of the machines increased. 

"Tobin I need you to calm down!" The doctor raised her voice. Tobin kept fighting. She ripped her iv out of her arm and blood spurted out in the bed. "Nurse I need some restraints in here please!" The doctor called out the nurses in the hallway. By now Tobin was being held down with a nurse on her left and Lauren on her right. Alex had moved into the corner, she was scared of what was happening to Tobin. The doctor pulled her flash light from her pocket and shined it in Tobin's eyes. 

Mind numbing pain shot through Tobin's body and she let out a loud scream. In a fit of anger and pain from what the doctor had done, Tobin the doctor's wrist to make her drop the light. "Do not do that again!" Tobin yelled to try to ease her growing headache. "Tobin you are having a panic attack. You need to settle down or you will hurt yourself even more." The doctor responded as she held Tobin's head down to recheck her eyes. Tobin let out another scream as she continued to fight. Then the nurses came in with the restraints. 

"No, stop! Please don't!" Tobin pleaded with them as they strapped each of her arms down to the bed. "Alex help me! Make them stop!" Alex just stood in the corner shocked at what was happening. Tobin looked at Lauren with helpless eyes. "Tobin I think it's for your own good" Lauren tried to reason with the fighting girl. 

"I am giving you something to calm down. You need to rest, but we will check on you every hour because of your head injury." The doctor put the iv back in Tobin's arm and then she felt the cold medicine enter veins and spread through her body. As the doctor left the room she kindly laid the oxygen mask over Tobin's mouth to help her breath and she dimmed the lights in the room to help Tobin's eyes. She was numb again and felt as if he couldn't move. Lauren and Alex returned to their seats beside Tobin. "I'm sorry" Tobin whispered. They both looked at her with understanding eyes. "It's okay you were just scared. Get some rest." Lauren said as she and Alex stroked Tobin's hands. Then she was hit with a wave of nausea. 

"I don't feel so good." She said as they all stared to settle down. Lauren eyed Alex to go get a nurse and Alex obeyed. "Tobin just take deep breathes." But Tobin couldn't hear anything around hear except ringing. She had never felt so nauseous. A nurse comes in and rolls Tobin on her side. Before she can get the bucket, Tobin feels it all come. She vomits all over the floor. "I am so sorry!"

"It's alright sweetheart. It's because of your concussion. Lets get you cleaned up." The nurse kindly replied and and began cleaning Tobin up. She took the restraints off Tobin and put some cream on her raw wrists as Tobin cringed at the sting. Then the nurse said Tobin could put come clothes on if she didn't want to wear a gown. Tobin smiled. Lauren helped the nurse sit Tobin up and Alex grabbed her a t-shirt and shorts. Tobin's head pounded as she sat up and she was very weak. Lauren held her up while the the nurse untied her gown. Alex let out a soft gasp when she saw Tobin's bare skin. Instead of tan and healthy, Alex saw pale and bruised skin. Tobin had a large gash up her thigh and a lot of bruising up her side and back from when she got hit. It took the women almost fifteen minutes to get Tobin fully dressed because she cold barely move. "Now you need to get some rest." The nurse said before she left the room. 

Tobin scooted over some. "Hey Lex, I rest better with you." Tobin motioned for Alex to join her in the bed. Alex happily complied and slid into the bed and offered her shoulder for Tobin. Lauren left the room to update her teammates and give them some alone time. Tobin wanted to talk to Alex about what she heard alex say while she was coming to, but she didn't have the energy. "Thank you Alex!" Tobin whispered and in a barely audible tone Tobin rasped "I love you" before drifting off into a fitful sleep. 

"You're welcome Tobin. I love you too!" Alex replied but Tobin was already fast asleep. Alex knew that Tobin was her one. The one she had to be with for the rest of her life. And now even though they were in a hospital room and Tobin was hurt, Alex was right where she wanted to be. Next to her best friend, the woman she loved, and she wouldn't have traded it for the world. Alex laid her head back and fell asleep.


	6. Could We Be More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They continue to dance around the subject of love and Tobin gets a new challenge on top of her physical injuries.

Alex woke up when a nurse came in to check on Tobin. She quietly slid out of the bed so the nurse could do her work. When Alex walked into the waiting area she saw Abby reading and Lauren passed out next to her. She walked over to them. 

"Where is everyone?" Alex asked, referring to team who had all been there earlier.

"We sent them back to the hotel to get some rest. I told them we'd call if anything happened. Cheney wouldn't go. She said she couldn't leave you too." Abby said as looked looked down at Lauren. Alex chuckled. "How are you holding up baby horse?" 

"I'm fine why?" Abby gave her a suspicious look and Alex told her how she felt. "Abby, I think I am in love with Tobin. When she went down I felt the greatest lose I have ever felt and now my heart aches to be with and hear her voice, to see her smile."

"Have you told Tobin how you feel?" Abby asked

"No. I was going to tell her after the game, but then all this happened and now I can't tell her." Alex responded. 

"Why can't you?" Abby wondered.

"Because she has so much going on for her right now and I can't add anymore for her to think about. Tobin needs to focus on getting better now and it you'll be selfish of to tell her and want her attention." Alex said.

"Alex I think Tobin deserves to know how you feel about her. Besides if she feels the same way about you then it could be good for her to really have someone by her side while she goes through all this." Abby suggested. 

Alex sighs and gives an understanding nod as she leans her head against the wall. She knows that she should tell Tobin and she wants to there for her to get better. Why not tell Tobin she will always be here for her?

Alex peeked her eyes open at the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Abby set three cups of coffee in the table for the women. Alex was happy to have to keep her awake. She looked at her phone at saw that it was six thirty in the morning. 

"How'd you sleep baby horse?" Abby said with a chuckle. Alex had fallen sound asleep after their conversation. 

"I guess I didn't realize how tired I was." Alex responded. "Where is Cheney? How's Tobin?"

"Chen is in with Tobin now, keeping her company and holding her hand. Tobin is still resting. The nurse said she made through most of the night without too much pain which is good. They said the doctor will be in around seven to check on Tobin and run some tests." Abby told Alex. 

Alex stood up, "I'm going to take Cheney her coffee. I'll be back." Really Alex wanted to see if Lauren would switch because she really wanted to be with Tobin. "Thanks for the coffee. I'll be with Abby if you need anything." Lauren happily let Alex stay with the midfielder. 

Alex sat beside the older girl and gently laced her finger around the limp hand. Tobin didn't look any better to Alex. But Alex knew her injuries were internal so was still hurt. Alex planted a kiss in Tobin's hand and closed her eyes. She tuned out the beeps of the machines and thought of Tobin.

"Lex!" Alex jumped at the sound of her name. Tobin was waking up and Alex asked if she needed anything, "Tobs! Hey baby can I get you anything?" 

"Water." Tobin rasped. Her mouth and throat were parched because of the steady flow of oxygen provided by mask she was wearing. Tobin's head was still pounding and her body still ached, but none of her pain mattered because she was with Alex. 

"Her you go." Alex helped Tobin take a few small sips of the water. 

"Thank you! Hey Alex can tell you something?" Tobin said as Alex set the cup down and returned to her seat.

"Sure thing. I have something I want to talk to you about too." Alex knew now was as good a time as any to tell Tobin. 

"Ok you can go first." Tobin didn't exactly know how to tell Alex how she felt but she knew she tell her now. Before Alex could think about arguing and having Tobin go first, the doctor came into the room. 

"Good morning Tobin! How are you feeling today?" The doctor asked as she checked Tobin's charts. Alex got up and went to get Lauren and Abby so they could hear what the doctor was saying. 

"I'm really tired and sore and my head hurts." Tobin replied.

"All of that I'd to be expected because of what happened. How are your eyes? Does the light bother them? Are you dizzy or nauseous?" The doctor ran through a series of questions to check Tobin's progress. By now all three players had returned to the room. 

"The light hurts my eyes and head a lot. When it's too bright it hurts my whole body. My vision seems fine in my open eye. I'm not too nauseous any more, but I get a little dizzy if I look around too fast." Dr. Patel nodded as she listened to Tobin's responses. 

"We will give you more pain medication and give you something for your dizziness." Dr. Patel motioned to a nurse. "Now I want to take off your bandages so I can check the stitches and I want to see how your other eye is responding."

Tobin nodded. There was a nervous tension in the room. Tobin was anxious to see what had actually happened as a result of the hit, but she was also nervous to see it. Alex and Lauren remember the doctor talking about the lack of response in Tobin's other eye and the hoped it was better now. They all moved away from Tobin so the doctor could work. All three of them were scared to see what then injury to the midfielder looked like and how she would respond. Everyone in the room held their breath as the doctor unwrapped Tobin's head. 

Once the bandages were off the first thing they noticed was the deep, red cut that ran along her forehead above Tobin's brow. I was red and puffy and caused a lot of swelling on the left side of her face. There was also a deep cut on the side of her head that was less noticeable because of her hair. Tobin's eye was swollen shut and the she already had bruising from the hit. Tobin sat there while the doctor examined the wounds. She grimaced as the doctor touched the areas around the tender cuts. The three women stared at Tobin in shock of how she looked.

Alex could not get over how much Tobin must hurt. Tobin's eye and face are getting black and blue and swollen. Those cuts, they must be throbbing. Alex focused on keeping her emotions in check so she could be strong for Tobin. 

Dr. Patel said the cuts looked clean and she applied some cream to keep them from getting infected. Then she moved to Tobin's eye. "Tobin need to look into your eye. I'm going to open it and shine my light. I'm sorry it will probably hurt." Tobin nodded, not looking forward to more pain. Alex instinctively walked to Tobin's side and put her hand out, giving a comforting smile. Tobin graciously took Alex's hand. 

Tobin jumped and and bit her lip at the stinging pain through her body when the light came on. She squeezed Alex's hand and tried to contain her tears. When the doctor turned her light off she apologized and wiped the stray tear that ran down Tobin's cheek. "I sorry I had to do that. The response in that eye is still pretty weak. If I hold your eye open, can you tell me what you see out of that eye?" Tobin nodded as the doctor opened Tobin's eye against the swelling. 

"Everything is blurry." Tobin said nervously. "I can't make anything out. It's just blurs." This scared all of them and no one knew what had happened. Alex continued to hold Tobin's hand tight. Lauren and Abby turned to the doctor to ask why she couldn't see. 

"The problems seems to be where Tobin got hit. When you get a concussion your brain swells. Because the injury was primarily on the left side and you were hit hard in two places, there is more swelling in those areas of the brain. The swelling could be pushing on a nerve of you eye and that could be why vision in your left eye is blurry." They were all relieved that there was a diagnosis for the vision loss, but wanted to know if it would get better. "But it will get better right?" Lauren asked. 

"As the swelling goes down Tobin's vision should return to normal." Everyone left out a sigh of relief. "If it doesn't fully return there are other options to consider." The doctor added. 

"Tobin will be able to see normally again right?" Alex asked with desperation in her voice. We knew Tobin would recover from a concussion and some cuts, but if she couldn't see then she may not be able to play soccer.

"Right now Tobin needs to focus on getting better and resting. Time will tell with your vision." The doctor replied. Tobin just sat on the bed in shock. Soccer was her passion. If she couldn't see, she would be able to play. She wouldn't be able to see the wonderful things around her. She wouldn't be able to see Alex and all her beauty every day. "The nurse is going to put some smaller bandage over your cuts. I'll come by later. Get some rest." Then Dr. Patel left the room. 

After the nurse left the room was silent for a few moments. Finally Lauren spoke up. "Everything is going to be ok. Tobin, you're alright and you will get better. Everything will work itself out. We all need to have a little faith and be positive." It's brought a smile to everyone's face. Cheney was always able to find the good in a situation. 

"Thanks Cheney! You're right we need to be positive and trust that everything will be good. Sometimes we are tested and it can only make us stronger." Tobin said looking at Lauren and then to Alex to assure her that they would be ok. Alex looked into Tobin's eyes and was happy she was ok. "And we will all be here for you every step of the way."

Abby got up to call Christie and Tom and let them know what the doctor had said. When she returned to the room the other three were all talking. Tobin was trying to tell them to go back to the hotel and shower and get some rest. "Listen I'll be fine for a little while. You all look like crap and you starting to stink up my room."

"We'll at least you have your humor back!" Abby cut in. She could sense that Tobin wanted some alone time and she knew that they could all use a shower and a bad. "Come on guys Tobin is right. And she needs to rest anyway so we won't miss much." Lauren and Alex complied with Abby and Tobin was happy for Abby's help. They all said their good byes and left Tobin alone. 

Tobin closed her eyes and said a quick prayer that she would get through it and have the strength to fight. As she prayed she fell into a deep sleep. When she woke up her room was dark. She had been asleep much longer than she thought. She looked around her room and saw a bag by the chair next to her, but the chair was empty. Then she saw Alex walk into the room.


	7. Could We Be More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their feelings finally come out

"Hey sleepy head! How you feeling?" Alex was happy to see Tobin's eyes and Tobin was happy to see Alex. 

"I kinda feel a little better." But Tobin knew she was on some heavy painkillers. "What time is it?"

"It's getting pretty late. You've been asleep most of the day. Are you hungry?" Tobin nodded her head that she wasn't hungry and stared blankly a Alex. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing I'm just sick of being here. I want something normal." Tobin said. "Do you have a video of the game I'd like to see what I missed?" Soccer was the most normal thing for Tobin. 

Alex nodded hesitantly. "Yeah I have it. Are sure you sure you want to see it?" 

"Positive! I love soccer and nothing that happens can change that. Beside I want to see my sick assists again!" Tobin joked and scooted over for Alex. Alex grabbed her computer and pulled up the video then slid in next to Tobin. 

As they rewatched the game they both broke down the plays and cheered for the good plays. Tobin was glad to be so close to Alex and doing what they loved. When they got to the corner kick, Alex took Tobin's hand. When Tobin saw herself get hit and go down she started to get flashes of memory. She remembered gasping for breath and Cheney being right beside her. She remembered looking around and seeing Alex and wanting to reach out to her. They finished the game in silence. 

"You ok Tobs?" Alex asked as she closed the computer. 

"Yeah, just remembering some of the bits and pieces. Nice goal by the way!" Tobin said.

"Oh thanks. I'm mean you did all the work for it." Alex said. She was mad at herself for bringing up that Tobin took a hit for her the score. Then she remembered that she and Tobin had never finished their conversation from earlier. 

"Hey Tobin what did you want to talk to me about this morning before the doctor came in?" She asked.

Tobin had also remembered that Alex had something she wanted to say too. "Mine isn't that important, you go first." Tobin had deflected her question because she didn't know how to tell Alex.

Alex hesitated, but she knew she needed to tell Tobin how much she loved her. Tobin sensed that Alex was uncomfortable and she took the forwards hand to comfort her. "Alex it's okay, you can tell me anything."

"Tobin. My feelings for you are more than just for a best friend. Our relationship has grown into more and I love it. We are so close. Your touch is more than a touch and it lingers on my skin. I long to be with you every second of every day. When you got hurt I felt so alone without you. I want you to know how much I love you and I want to be here with you for as long I can." Alex was happy to have everything out in the air. 

At first Tobin was a little shocked, but she knew that she felt the same way as Alex so she was happy that felt that way. "Alex I am in love with you too. When I saw your face all I wanted to do was reach out and wrap my arms around you. I just wanted to hear your voice and feel your warmth. I am so happy when I am with you!"

Alex sat up and wrapped her arms around Tobin, in the deepest embrace they had experienced. Tobin reciprocated her love every ounce of energy she had. 

"Alex, what if I can't see anymore? Then I can't play soccer!" Tobin said as she as up. 

Alex just held her tighter. "Don't worry Tobs everything will be ok. We have to trust that things will get better and you will play again." Alex pulled Tobin back into their hug and they held each other until they both fell asleep. 

Alex woke up to the sound of a nurse in the room. Tobin was still asleep next to her so she leaned down and gave the midfielder a peck on the cheek. Tobin didn't even stir as Alex got out of the bed. Once in the hallway Alex noticed Lauren was back in the waiting room. She went over and sat down next to her. Lauren looked up and smiled at Alex.

"How is everything?" Lauren asked Alex. She hoped Alex had told Tobin how she felt about her.

"Things are great with me and Tobin! I told her and she felt the same way. I'm so happy we can be together now!" Alex was grinning ear to ear. "She is scared of what could happen with her head though."

"I know she is, but we have to keep her confident that she will be better." Lauren replied. "So, um, most of the girls are heading back to their teams today or tomorrow. But I'm going to stay here with you guys until Tobin's all set to go." 

"Cheney you don't have to. I don't want you to change your entire schedule." Alex was saying but Lauren interrupted her. "No, no, I'm staying. I've already talked to Kansas City and they said I'm good. Jrue is doing workouts and he knows how close we all are. I'm staying." Alex smiled.Then they both looked up and saw the doctor heading towards Tobin's room. Both player stood up and followed her into the room. 

"Good afternoon Tobin! How are you feeling today?" Tobin just shrugged her shoulders. "Okay well I want to check your stitches and see how that eye is doing." A nurse came in with a tray of instruments and some new bandages. Alex immediately went to Tobin's side and held the midfielder's hand. 

When the bandages were off Alex looked at Tobin's head. They seemed to look a little better. The bruising around her eye was getting worse and it as still swollen. Dr. Patel pulled a pen out and held it in front of Tobin. 

"Follow this pen with your eyes and don't move your head." Tobin did so. Then the doctor had Tobin reach out to tough the pen several times. Whenever the pen was on Tobin's right she did fine, but on Tobin's left she struggled. "Now I want you to cover your right eye and we will test your left. Follow the pen." Tobin found it difficult to find the pen in certain areas. 

When Dr. Patel held the pen out for Tobin to touch she completely missed it. Everyone was shocked. There were some areas that Tobin could only see blurs and she could just make out the pen in her peripheral vision. This worried Tobin and her teammates. 

"I'm going to set you up with an eye specialist. He will see if the problem can be corrected with glasses. If it can't be there are still options to recover your vision." The doctor assured them. Tobin was dejected though. Nothing the doctor said could make her feel better. The doctor sensed Tobin's feelings and got up. "The nurse will put bandages over your cuts and I want her to cover your eye. You have an appointment tomorrow morning. We will figure this out." The doctor left after giving Tobin a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 

Tobin was holding back tears of anger and frustration and Alex and Lauren could tell. When the nurse left Alex pushed Tobin over and laid next to her. "Everything is gong to be ok Tobin!" As she wrapped her arms around the older girl and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Lauren took Tobin's other hand and they all sat there in silence. Tobin was happy to have her best friend and the woman she loved by her side, but she felt lost. She didn't how this could all be happening to her and she felt alone. Before she knew it Tobin was asleep in Alex's arms. Alex and Lauren stayed with her for the night. They didn't even budge when the nurse brought in a tray of food for dinner. 

The next morning Lauren was the first awake. Alex and Tobin were still holding each other in the bed and she couldn't help but smile. She walked into the hall way to ask what time Tobin's appointment was. A nurse told her it was nine o'clock and that they were planning to wake Tobin between seven and seven-thirty so she could get a shower. Lauren looked at her phone and it was almost seven. She told the nurse that she would wake up Tobin and see her in a bit for Tobin to bathe. 

Lauren nudged Alex awake. Alex opened her eyes. "Alex you need to wake Tobin up. She has her appointment in two hours and she's gonna shower first." Alex sat up and looked at the sleeping midfielder. She decided to kiss her. Their lips met and Alex kissed the woman she loved with every ounce of passionate and love she had. Tobin stirred and returned a small kiss. 

"Good morning!" Tobin said as she wiped sleep from her open eye. 

"Morning babe! So you get to take a shower today before your appointment. A nurse will be here soon to help you." Alex said as she took the seat next to Lauren. The nurse came in behind a wheelchair and Tobin looked in hesitantly. 

"Ok Tobin I'm going to take you to the showers." The nurse said. Tobin was uncomfortable with the nurse so she asked if Lauren and Alex could do it. "Sure I can take you there and let them help you. Dr. Patel wants to take you off your iv meds so we can that out now. Then you're good to go." She took the iv out of Tobin's arm. Then she lower the bed real and swing Tobin's legs over to put her in the wheel chair. Alex and Lauren stood on both sides of Tobin to lift her. 

"It's okay I can just walk." Tobin argued, but as they lifted her to her feet a wave of nausea hit her. "Never mind I'll take the wheelchair." They happily set her into the chair. 

As Alex pushed Tobin the nurse explained the Lauren what needed to happen. "Basically she can shower like normal, just try your best not to get soap in the cuts. I put shampoo and soap on their already and another gown, but I'm sure she will want to put normal clothes back on." 

Alex and Lauren nodded in thanks and were left alone with Tobin. The air in the room was a bit awkward then Tobin lifted her shirt off revealing her bruised torso. "Well lets do this!" She said with a grin and Alex and Lauren moved in to help her. Lauren carefully pulled the bandages off. Alex helped Tobin out of her shorts. When she was down to her sports bra and underwear they lifted her into the shower. She was happy there was a seat in the shower, but she wanted to try to stand. Her legs felt shaky under her, but she was less nauseous. 

"If you need anything we will be right out here." Alex said to Tobin. 

"Thanks Lex!" Tobin gave the forwards hand a loving squeeze. Tobin took off her bra and underwear and let the warm water run over her achy body. The warmth felt good on her skin. She started washing her body first. 

Outside Alex longed to be with Tobin, to touch her skin. Lauren sensed it and stood to leave.   
"I'm going to get Tobin's change of clothes from the room and I will probably call Jrue and talk to him for a bit." Lauren said, implying that she would be gone for a little while. 

Alex decided to go for it. She took her clothes off and went to the shower. Tobin heard the shower open and felt arms wrap around her. She looked up and smiled at the sight of Alex. They let their bodies melt together and stood there together with the water running over them for a few moments.

"Hello!" Tobin said as she looked at Alex. 

"Hi!" Alex responded. Then she reached for the shampoo because she knew Tobin would struggle to miss her cuts. Alex let her fingers gently run through Tobin's hair. Tobin rested her head on Alex's chest and listened to her heart beat. "Thank you Alex! I love you so much!"

Alex rinsed the soap from Tobin's hair and lifted her chin so they were looking into each others eyes. "I love you so much Tobin Heath! And I will to do whatever I need to to have you forever!" Then they lessened the gap and kissed. This time they were both in the kiss and they held it for as long as they could. Tobin had to break it because she was starting to tire. "I'm sorry I'm just so tired." Tobin apologized.

"It's fine. It's because of the concussion. Let me sit you down while I grab towels." Alex said as she brought Tobin down to the seat in the shower. She turned the water off and grabbed two towels. She was thankful when she saw that Lauren had left Tobin's clothes on the bench outside the shower. She wrapped her towel around her and went back to Tobin. Once she had Tobin dry and dressed Alex got herself dressed. Then she helped Tobin back to the wheelchair. 

Lauren finished up with Jrue when they got back to the room. She let Alex help Tobin back in bed and got the nurse to put new bandages on Tobin. When she left Alex took Tobin's hand. "Babe you still have about an hour till your appointment, why don't you close your eyes for a bit." Tobin shook her head and was asleep in seconds. Alex kissed her on the forehead as she fell asleep.


	8. Could We Be More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobin is struggling and it shows.

"Tobin wake up its time to go." Alex nudged the sleeping girl. She sat up and they got her into the wheelchair. 

"I'm sorry but you two can't go in so you can stay here if you want." The nurse said. Alex kissed Tobin's hand and gave her a look that said everything would be fine. 

"Why don't we go get something to eat?" Lauren suggested. Alex nodded in agreement realizing that she hadn't eaten since she went back to the hotel the day before. They went down to the cafeteria and ate their food in silence.

Lauren finally broke the silence. "You know there are a lot of ways for Tobin to get her sight back. She will get back on the field." Alex smiled. "Yeah you're right." They finished eating and decided to wait for Tobin in the waiting room of the eye specialist.

Upstairs Tobin sat in the waiting room while her nurse filled out her paperwork. Then she got wheeled into an exam room. After a few minutes the doctor came in. 

"Good morning I'm Dr. Coffman." Tobin shook his extended hand and tried to smile. "I understand you have an issue with your left eye."

Tobin nodded "yeah everything is blurry." Tobin answered all of the questions about her sight; she could only make things out in her peripheral vision, she could only see outlines of things because it was so blurred, and she was really sensitive to light. Dr. Coffman wrote down notes then set his notepad on the desk. 

"I want to start out by doing a normal examination of your eyes and I want to check your visual field and clarity." Dr. Coffman explained. Tobin got up and let the doctor help her into the chair. He peeled off the bandage over her eye. "Well it looks like the swelling has started to go down. I know you said that light hurts, but I need use this to look into your eyes." As he pointed to a machine with a light that Tobin didn't recognize. She nodded in agreement.

Tobin gritted her teeth and clenched her fists as the light went in and out of her eyes. Her head felt like it was going to explode. "I'm sorry Tobin hang in there I'm almost done." When he finally finished she breathed a big sigh of relief and sat back with her head in her hands. She just wanted to cry, but she didn't want to do it here. 

"Now we are going to see if these help you see." Dr. Coffman said as he pulled over the equipment with all the lenses on it. He adjusted it to Tobin and began asking her to read letters with different lenses. Some made no difference but some allowed Tobin to see a little less blurry, but she still couldn't see well enough to play soccer. Lastly they took Tobin to check her visual field. It involved more lights, but they were dimmer and hurt her head less. By now Tobin had a splitting headache and could barely focus on anything around her. 

"Tobin is there anyone here with you that we can bring in while we explain your options?" Dr. Coffman asked sensing Tobin's discomfort. 

"Um yeah my best friend and-" Tobin didn't know what to call Alex yet. "Yeah my best friends." The tech got up to go find them. "Is that them?" She said motioning to the two player who had come up to meet Tobin. "Yes!" Tobin replied. 

They brought Alex and Lauren into the room, Alex held Tobin's hand, and Dr. Coffman began explaining Tobin's situation. "Tobin suffered a brain injury from the two hits she took. Sometimes brain trauma can cause visual field loss or loss of clarity. Field loss is when the patient losses vision in all or part of the eye and clarity loss is nerve damage that causes impaired vision. Tobin has visual clarity loss so basically the nerves in her left eye can't send the signal well enough to see what is in from of her." All three women starred at him blankly to really understanding what he was saying. "So you can fix that right?" Alex asked.

"Based on her exam the corrective lenses did help increase her vision, but it is still impaired." All three sighed knowing that wasn't a good sign. "But I think I have a way to fix it and restore Tobin's vision in that eye." Now they all sat up at the sound of good news. "There is a procedure where we go in and correct the damage in the eye. Which means the patient doesn't need glasses anymore. For you, we would do that but you would not likely still need glasses to have full vision back." Dr. Coffman finished. 

Tobin was so tired now that she couldn't fathom what he was saying. Lauren noticed and thanked him and asked when they needed to decide by. "I wouldn't want to do it for a few day to let her recover from the concussion and let the cuts heal. It's a simple procedure so take a day or two to decide and let us know." They thanked everyone and rolled Tobin back downstairs.

When they got back to the room, Tobin crawled back into the bed. There was a noticeable shift in Tobin's demeanor since the appointment. "Tobin what's wrong?" Alex asked

Tobin just starred blankly out the window and shrugged. "Nothing. Just tired."

"You should close your eyes and get some rest for a while." Lauren suggested. Tobin had been with the specialist for nearly two hours and she had been worked really hard. 

"Cheney why don't you go get us some coffee." Alex wanted to be alone with Tobin. "Tobs talk to me! What's up? You can tell me anything." Alex was desperate for Tobin to open up.

"Lex really I'm just tired and my head hurts." She really didn't feel well and she couldn't put words to the helplessness she felt at her situation. She felt like nothing could go her way, but she wanted to be strong for Alex. Tobin pulled the sheets u to her shoulders and rolled on her side. Before she fell asleep she asked Alex to turn off the lights. 

Alex obliged and was sad that she couldn't help Tobin. After a few minutes a nurse came in with a tray of lunch. She hesitated when Alex told her to just bring it back later. "Yeah I guess can do that. Come and find me right when she wakes up, she needs to eat." Then she left. Lauren walked past her and handed Alex a large cup of coffee. Alex happily accepted the caffeine. 

"Lauren when was the last time you saw Tobin eat?" Alex asked as she was troubled with why the nurse had been so insistent. Lauren thought for a moment. "Come to think of it I haven't see her eat at all. She has always been resting when they bring her food and she has never asked for food. Have you seen her eat?"

"No" Alex answered nervously. "I don't think she has eaten since the accident."

"Have you talked to her? She seems a lot more down and like depressed today." Lauren asked.

"She won't talk Cheney!" Alex raised her voice in frustration. Lauren motioned them outside so they wouldn't wake the sleeping midfielder. "I tried to talk to her, but she just rolled over and went to sleep. She isn't dealing with the situation. I haven't heard her say how she feels at all."

"She just needs time Alex. She does need to eat though. We need to talk to her when she gets up." Then Lauren walked to the nurse and told they would get her immediate when Tobin woke up. 

Tobin POV  
She is back on the pitch with the ball coming toward her. There are red jerseys all around her. She knows she must reach the ball. As she leaps for the ball, Tobin realizes that the situation is all too familiar. As the ball reaches her everything goes black. She is trapped! Tobin can't breath, can't move. There is movement all around her, then there are bright lights. She tries to speak, but nothing comes out. We tries to get up, but nothing works. She finally sees Alex but she can't reach her and she can't all out to her. 

Tobin shoots up from her sleep. She is covered in sweat and breathily heavily. Thankfully it was just a dream. Tobin notices that she is alone in her room. She is shocked when her phones shows that it is almost seven o'clock. Then she sees Alex walk into the room. 

"Did you sleep well Tobin?" Alex asked with a seriousness in her voice. 

"Yeah fine" that was a lie, but she just wanted to forget the dream. She tried to change the subject. "Sorry I slept so long."

"Don't apologize. Rest is one of the things you need to get better." Alex replied. Then the nurse came in followed by Lauren. "Here is your dinner Ms Heath."

"I'm not hungry." Tobin replied as her mood immediately shifted to unhappy. 

"Tobin you need to eat to get your strength back and get better." Alex insisted. 

"I'll eat when in hungry and I'm not hungry right now." Tobin tried to say but the nurse cut her off. "Ms Heath sometimes with a concussion your appetite changes. Even if you feel sick you need to eat and get some energy back in your body. You have to eat!"

Alex took the lid off the tray and picked up the fork for Tobin. "Come on Tobin just eat a few bites." Se said motioning towards the food. 

Tobin was getting visibly aggravated. She didn't know why she was getting so angry, but she couldn't take it anymore. Tobin slammed her hands down and threw the tray across the room. "I told you I am not hungry!" Tobin was shocked by what she had just done. 

Everyone in the room was shocked too. Alex and the nurse quickly picked up the remnants and left the room. Lauren could see the hurt in Alex's eyes. "Tobin we are just trying to help."

Tobin looked down shamefully. "I know, I'm sorry." She felt a wave of emotion come over her and she didn't want to be with anyone. The only escape was the bathroom in the corner of the room. "I need to use the bathroom, can you help me up?" Lauren helped Tobin in and the midfielder quickly shut the door and locked it. 

Tears came to Tobin's eyes as she stood there. She didn't know why this was all happening to her. She was lost for words and wondered why. She looked up in the mirror and was angry. Angry that she felt that way and angry for how she had treated Alex. Tobin punched her hands into the mirror and wall repeatedly until they hurt. Then she fell to the ground in full sobs. 

Lauren was outside the door and noise. She ran to the door and found it locked. "Tobin open the door!" There was no answer so she ran to the nurses station and got the key. When she opened the door found Tobin sobbing on the floor and covered in blood. Lauren wrapped her arms around the midfielder. "Shh, shh, everything is alright" 

"Why is this happening Cheney? I don't even know why I feel like this, I just feel lost." Tobin explained to Lauren. 

"Don't worry. You're only going to get better. You have all of us behind you. You have Alex. You're going to have soccer again too." Lauren consoled her. Tobin started to calm down and she breathed normally. "I'm sorry about earlier, I don't know what came over me. Is Alex okay?" She said to Lauren. 

"It's fine. She knows you are hurting and she will always be with you. Now let's get you cleaned up and get you at least a little something to eat!" Tobin smiled and let Lauren help her to the bed. The nurse came in and cleaned and wrapped Tobin's hands up. Lauren went to find Alex.

"Alex she's okay now. She just let it all out and she is sorry." Alex stood up and smiled. "She loves you and she is just scared. She going to eat too so take this and talk to her." Lauren said handing Alex some pudding and a granola bar. 

The nurse left and Alex stood at the door. She walked in at sat next to Tobin. "Lauren said you were ready to eat something." 

Tobin took the food and started to open it, "Alex I am really sorry about what I said and how I acted. I want you to know how much I appreciate you being here for me. I love you so much and I haven't showed you that." She took a bite of the pudding and got some on her lip.

Alex leaned in to wipe it off and kissed her. It wasn't a really long kiss, but there was immense passion behind it. "I love you so much and you are showing me right now why I love you. I will always be here for you no matter what. We are going to get through this and you are going to be back on the pitch in no time!"

"You bet I am!" Tobin was so happy Alex as with her and she knew she needed to be positive from now on. "And it starts tomorrow when we tell the specialist that I want the surgery. I want to get better as fast as possible."

"You will, just don't rush it." Alex responded. "Get your rest now." Tobin slid over and Alex joined her in the bed. They fell asleep awaiting the new day.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobin starts to become the normal Tobin again. Tobin and Alex's relationship takes off too.

Tobin happily accepted the tray of breakfast that the nurse brought the next morning. Alex sat and talked with her while she ate. As they talked Alex noticed Tobin's smile. It was the first time in three days, since before the game, that she had seen Tobin really smile. 

"What are you looking at?" Tobin interrupted as she noticed Alex staring.

"I'm just happy to see your smile again that's all! I'm happy to be here with you!" Alex replied. Tobin smiled back and held Alex's hand tight.

When Tobin said she was done eating Alex was upset to see that she had only eaten about a quarter of the food, but at least she tried. Then the doctor came in. 

"Tobin how's it going today? I heard that yesterday wasn't such a good day." Dr. Patel asked.

"Um yeah yesterday wasn't my best day, but I'm feeling a little better today. My head hurts a lot and I'm feeling pretty 'off.' But I'm sure today will be better." Tobin answered. She did feel better, but she was still in pain.

"Well I am certainly pleased with your positive attitude. That will really help you with your recovery." The doctor said. "As for the headaches and fatigue, you are going to experience these symptoms. Part of post concussion syndrome is dealing with these things. We will deal with them as they come up. I'll get you something for the pain and you need your rest. Did you all decide on if you are going to do the procedure on your eye?"

Tobin looked at Alex and Alex nodded back. "I want to do it. I want every chance I can get to get my full vision back."

"Great news! I'll let Dr. Coffman know how your progress is. I also think that could be prt of your headaches, not being used to only using one eye." The doctor explained. "For now I'll get you that medicine and if you're up for it, you can go for a walk or something to get your blood flowing. The nurse is going to clean your cuts and I only want a bandage on the one on the side of your head. Your forehead is healing nicely, but you will have a scar." Then Dr. Patel got up and left.

The nurse cleaned the cuts and changed the bandages. Alex was happy to see the swelling was a lot better and the bruising was lessening. 

"Can we try to go for a walk?" Tobin asked after the nurse left.

"Are you sure you're up for it?" Tobin nodded back. "Yeah let's go!"

Tobin stood up and held Alex for support. Her legs felt shaky and she was dizzy. Tobin took a few steps forward with Alex holding her arm. She started to lose her balance but Alex was immediately there to hold her.

"It's okay I've got you." Alex said as she pulled Tobin up into a hug. She could tell Tobin was annoyed that she couldn't even walk. Tobin was on the verge of tears. "Shh you'll get there."

Tobin let Alex hold her in her arms for a little while. Then Alex set her down on the bed. "Here we can still go for a walk, but you can go in this." Alex motioned to the wheelchair. Then scooped Tobin up and put her in. 

"Thanks Lex!" Tobin replied. 

Alex pushed Tobin around the hospital for a while. Tobin was happy to get out of her room. Tobin didn't think they were going anywhere, but soon they rounded a corner and came to a stop. When she looked up, Tobin had a huge smile on her face. They were outside the nursery and Tobin absolutely loved kids. Tobin looked at Alex wondering why she had brought her there.

"I thought you could use something happy to brighten your day because you've had a tough couple of days. And I know how much you like kids!" Alex replied.

"Thank you Alex this is just what I needed." Tobin said as she sat there holding Alex's hand watching the babies. Tobin thought about them and their future together. "Alex can you take me to the chapel?"

Alex nodded in response and took Tobin to the chapel. Once they were there Tobin asked to be alone for a few minutes and Alex left her there and waited outside. 

Tobin prayed about the things going on in her life. She asked God to give her the strength to get better and fight to get back on the pitch. Then Tobin prayed about Alex. She prayed that she would be able to give Alex everything. Tobin loved Alex and she always wanted to be with her. She thanked God for putting the forward in her life and asked that they could be together forever. When Tobin finished she rolled to the door and met Alex.

They went back to the room Lauren was there with clean clothes for Tobin. She left the room so Tobin could get dressed. When Tobin was ready she got back in bed and Alex joined her. Tobin's eyes were getting heavy and Alex knew she was tired.

"Close your eyes and rest." Alex said resting Tobin's head on her own shoulder. Tobin happily did and drifted into sleep. After a few minutes Alex eased out of the bed and pulled the sheets up over Tobin. Then she went into the hallway and told Lauren she was going to run to the hotel to shower and change.

When Tobin woke up it was getting dark outside. It amazing her how she was able to shut her eyes and fall into a deep sleep for hours. She liked that it passed time, though she knew it meant she still had a long recovery ahead of her. She turned and saw Alex walking in with a tray in her hands. 

"Good you're up just in time for dinner!" Tobin gave her a suspicious look. "Oh come on it won't be that bad, besides I made it for you myself!" Alex set the tray down and Tobin chuckled as she saw the bowl of chicken noodle soup and oyster crackers. She knew Alex must have microwaved the soup and used hospital crackers, but that didn't matter to Tobin. 

"Thank you Alex! You always know how to make me feel better!" Tobin said between sips of her soup. 

Tobin managed to finish most of her soup. Alex was happy to see that Tobin finally had some food in her. The warm soup had given Tobin a sudden burst of energy. "Hey Alex can we try to go for a walk again?"

"You sure you're up for it?" Tobin nodded. "Sure! Let's go!" Alex slid a pair of shoes on Tobin and tied the laces. When Tobin stood up Alex offered a hand for support and gave Tobin a questioning look. Tobin gave her a look that said she was okay. 

Tobin's legs felt a little stronger than they had this morning and she was ready to move forward. They slowly walked out of the room, Tobin's arm linked in Alex's in case she needed it. Alex was shocked at how well Tobin was walking compared to the morning. 

They got to the end of the hallway and Tobin felt as if she had played an entire game. Alex helped her down to the bench next to them. They sat there and Tobin knew this was the perfect time to talk to Alex. 

"Hey can I ask you something?" Alex smiled. "So I know how much you mean to me and you tell me you care about me." Alex wasn't really sure where the midfielder was going. "Does this mean we are officially 'girlfriends?' I mean I don't want to pressure you and I didn't want to label us before we were on the same page." 

Alex was happy Tobin had brought it up. "Yes Tobs I have always thought of you as my girlfriend but thanks for asking." Then she pecked Tobin on the cheek. 

"So what's on the agenda for tomorrow?" Tobin asked.

"I talked to the doctor while you were sleeping. She says that she wants you to start physical therapy tomorrow. Then we'll see how you feel after a day or two and they can do the surgery."

"Sounds like a plan!' Tobin stated confidently. "I think I'm ready to walk back." They got up and slowly made it back to the room. When they got there Lauren had set up a movie. Tobin sat down and took her shoes off. Alex slid in next to her girlfriend and Tobin patted the open space on the bed for Lauren to join them. She quickly turned off the lights and got in. Before the movie was over they were all asleep. 

In the morning Tobin felt soft warm lips on her own. She opened her eyes to meet the gaze of her girlfriend and kissed her back. "Good morning!" Tobin said when their lips parted.

"Hello!" Alex replied. "You ready to get up and seize the day?"

"Yeah let's seize away!" Tobin said in a mocking tone. 

"I got you some fruit and yogurt for breakfast. You have therapy in a little while and then we'll see how you are after that." Alex informed.

Tobin quietly nibbled on her breakfast. Today she was able to eat her whole bowl of fruit and most of the yogurt. Then she asked Alex to help her to the bathroom so she could change and freshen up. 

When she got to the bathroom she slowly changed into clean clothes. Then she brushed her teeth and washed her face. As she dried her face, Tobin's fingers came to the rough gash over eye. She knew it was going to leave a scar and told herself to use it as a reminder to overcome the trials that she faces. She said a little prayer asking for strength to carry on. 

When Tobin came out Alex asked if everything was okay. "Yeah everything is great! Thanks for asking!" Tobin answered with a renewed strength. Alex embraced her in a tight hug and they stood there until they were interrupted. 

"Excuse me!" The voice called to them. They came apart and looked at the woman awkwardly. "I am terribly sorry to interrupt. I am Kelsey, I'll be your therapist for a while."

Tobin nodded at her with a questioning look. "What kind if therapist?"

"Physical therapy. I specialize in head, neck, and back in trauma injuries." Tobin smiled in response. "So are you ready to get going?"

"Yep let's go!" Tobin said as she slipped her Nikes on and stood to leave. 

"Stop!" Alex protested. "Come back here and let me those for you." Tobin turned and let Alex tie her shoes. "Thank you!" Tobin left Alex after a hug. Alex knew Tobin would be gone for a few hours so she and Lauren had found a place to workout and get some touches. 

As they walked to therapy, Tobin and Kelsey talked about how Tobin was doing. "I mean I still have really bad headaches and dizziness. Focusing on something for too long and light is painful. And this while vision thing is throwing me for a loop. But other than all that I am doing just wonderful!" Tobin raised her voice in a sarcastic tone.

Kelsey just kept walking, taking in what Tobin said. Tobin put her head in her hands in frustration. "I'm sorry, that was rude. I just can't control it sometimes." 

 

"Don't worry about it Tobin." Kelsey sympathized. "Sometimes you lose control of emotions as a side effect of the accident. Here we are." Kelsey pointed to the entrance to the physical therapy department. 

Kelsey directed Tobin to her office where she offered Tobin a seat at her desk and something to drink. "Okay so I want to get to know you and learn some details about what happened before I do anything." Tobin nodded. "Can you tell me what happened from the accident that you remember?"

Tobin sat up in the chair. "I remember seeing the corner from Pinoe and realizing that it was my ball to get. I jumped to meet it and the next thing I know i am on the ground surrounded by people and gasping for air."

"And other than what you told me on the way here, have you had any other side effects?" Tobin nodded that she hadn't. "Okay we are going to go and I will run some diagnostics to see where your body is." 

They went into a large room with tables. There were already some patients with other therapists in the room. Kelsey lead Tobin to a free table and had her lay down on her back. Kelsey began to feel around Tobin's neck and head. asking if there was pain or tenderness in certain areas. She would apply pressure in some places and move Tobin's head in different directions. Some of the areas that she hit were very tender and caused Tobin to wince. Kelsey would apologize and move Tobin to a different position. When Kelsey would apply pressure the areas would start to feel better. Tobin hadn't realized how many parts of her neck and back had been affected by the game. 

After nearly forty five minutes of evaluation, Kelsey stopped working on Tobin. "Sit up for me please. I want to check something." Tobin did as Kelsey said and Kelsey put one hand around Tobin's neck and the other on her back. She told Tobin to keep breathing an then she hit a spot that sent Tobin off the edge. Tobin felt a huge pain run through the back of her neck and into her head. she was getting dizzy and nauseous and her head felt like it was spinning. She slid off the table and went to her hands and knees to try to control herself. 

Kelsey knelt down beside her to calm her down. "Tobin just breath. Let your breathing slow and you will feel better. We found the main spot of your problems. Because of the way you got hit in the game, that part of your neck and shoulders was really thrown off. If we can loosen and fix the areas around it the I think you will start to feel better and really see progress in your recovery."

"How do we fix it?" Tobin asked as she got back to her feet and sat back down on the table. 

"The form of the therapy I will do is like what I was just doing. I will find spots that hurt and then I will work them back into their natural positions. We will work everyday together and as things start to get back to normal, I will work you back into your soccer training. Does that sound like a good plan?" Kelsey explained to Tobin?

"Yeah it does. Thank you for your help!" Tobin replied. "So are we starting today or tomorrow?"

"If it is okay with you I'd really like to get going now so we can get you healthy as soon as possible." Kelsey said

"Definitely!" Tobin responded as she laid back down to start therapy. Kelsey stopped her, "we are actually gonna go in that room there" she said as she pointed to another room. They moved into the room and Tobin noticed it only had one table and the light was dimmed like a feng shui room. Kelsey told Tobin to take her shoes off and lay down on the table. While Tobin did that, Kelsey lit some candles and turned on soft music. Tobin wasn't really sure what she was getting into, but she trusted Kelsey. 

"Tobin I want you to focus on relaxing your body. We will see better results if you completely relax yourself and let your body heal." The therapist calmed Tobin. Tobin felt ridiculous, but she did as she was told. 

After a little while Tobin started to feel her eyes get heavy. The pressure and the slow movements felt relieving to her sore body. The music was slow and calm. Tobin fell asleep as Kelsey continued to work on the midfielder. When she finished she let Tobin sleep and did some work. Tobin woke up almost an hour later. 

"Whoa! Sorry I fell asleep." Tobin said as she sat up. "Not to worry, that was the effect I wanted. It means that the therapy is helping your body." Kelsey assured her. 

Tobin smiled and stood up form the table. "Do we have anything else we need to do today?" Kelsey stood and opened the door. "Nope you've been with me long enough today. We will continue tomorrow." They walked back to Tobin's room and she got in her bed to wait for Alex and Lauren. She was a little surprised that they weren't back yet. Tobin had been with the therapist for like three hours. She shrugged it off and turned on her iPod and waited.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally a nice evening for Alex and Tobin

When Alex and Lauren got back to the hospital they headed right for Tobin's room. They hadn't intended on being out as long as they were and they were worried about Tobin being alone for so long. When they got to the room they found the midfielder curled in a ball with her headphones in, asleep. 

"She's been like that for a little while." a nurse said as she entered the room. "Kelsey stopped by a few minutes ago and said that Tobin would probably be pretty tired after therapy today. She also said that the session went well and that after another session she thinks Tobin should have the surgery. The sooner she has the surgery the sooner she can recover from it."

"That's great news!" Lauren said. "Tobin just needs to get better so she can get back to soccer."

Alex's phone rang and she left the room to take the call. Lauren went and sat next to Tobin and looked at her phone. Alex came back in a few minutes later with some news from her agent. 

"I had a commitment for a Nike and they still want to do it so they are sending a team here. I have to go in tomorrow." Alex explained as she took the seat next to Lauren.

"That's fine. It's not like you're join to miss anything." Lauren assured the forward. "But Chen do think now is good time for me to leave her. She is still so fragile and we just got together."

"Oh yeah Tobs told me that you two were 'official' congrats!" Alex smiled. "Alex you've had this commitment for months. Tobin will understand that and besides she will be at therapy and then she will be tired. I'll keep her company. And you need to do the shoot before our next camp in two weeks."

Alex pondered what Lauren had said and she knew she was right. "Alright I know I have to do it. I just don't want to be away from her."

Lauren smiled at how in love her two friends really were. "So where are two gonna go from here?"

Alex hadn't really thought about it. she was so focused on Tobin getting better. "I mean we already live together because of the league so I guess now we just be together. Honestly I don't care what we do as long as it is together. I want to focus on helping her get back to soccer. We have camp in two weeks and I hope she can at least be there with the team. I know that will lift her spirits."

"Yeah you're right about that. She could use some friendly faces besides ours." Lauren agreed. "What did Portland say about you guys coming back?"

"I told them that we would be here until camp and then we would be there until after our two games. They said that was fine because Tobin needed to focus on therapy and getting better. When we go back I'd think she would be ready to play, maybe even to be a sub or something for our second national team game." Alex knew Tobin would have to have a speedy recovery to get into their second game, but it was three weeks away so she was optimistic Tobin would be better.

Tobin started to stir in the bed and she slowly opened her eyes, pleased to see Alex and Lauren beside her. "Hey guys! How was your workout?"

"It was great babe! Wish you were there though! How was therapy" Alex asked. 

Tobin stretched out and sat up in the bed. "I'll be back with you soon enough, I hope. Therapy was good. It was kind of weird, but in good way I guess. I think it is really going to help me get back."

"That's what they said. We are going to see how you are after tomorrow and try to do the surgery the next day." Alex informed Tobin. She nodded back to the forward in excitement. 

"So are there any league games tonight?" Tobin asked. She was sick of the focus being on her, she just wanted to get back to soccer and normality. 

"As a matter of fact there are. It's Wednesday so there are two games tonight." Lauren responded. "Western New York plays Sky Blue at seven and Seattle plays Chicago at ten. You want to watch them?"

"Of course I do! Those are some killer match ups!" Tobin replied with joy in her voice. "Besides we should watch our teammates face off." Tobin knew that their national team teammates were all back with their teams for a few games and she wanted to watch them play. 

Lauren got up and left the room saying she was going to try to work something out for the games. Alex took her girlfriend's hand and kissed her softly. "Hey!"

"Hi! It's good to see you!" Tobin whispered. "Do you want to try to walk for a little while? We have time to kill before the game."

Alex led Tobin into the hallway. Tobin had her arm intertwined with Alex's for support. She felt stronger than the day before, but she still didn't trust her body without Alex's arm. They silently walked down the hallway. When they reached the bench they stopped at before Alex went to sit down. Tobin wasn't ready to stop. "Let's keep going." Alex gave a nod of approval. 

Eventually they made it to a door that lead out to a garden. "Can we go outside Lex?" Tobin hadn't been outside in days and she was desperate for some fresh air. Alex was worried that the light outside would be too much for Tobin's eyes. "I don't know if that's such a good idea. Won't it hurt your head?"

"No it'll be fine. Come on I'll tell you if it starts to hurt too much." Tobin pleaded. "Please!"

Alex looked at her girlfriend and couldn't help but feel bad for her. She opened the door and they walked to a bench in the garden. Alex had her sunglasses with her and pulled them out for Tobin. "Here put these on. They will at least give you some protection." Tobin did as she was told. They sat there for a few minutes admiring the beauty around them. 

"Thank you for bringing me out here Lex! I really needed it, I don't know how much longer I could sit in that room." Tobin thanked her. 

"I'm glad to see you smiling again. Besides fresh air will do you good." Alex replied. She knew she should tell Tobin that she wasn't going to be there tomorrow. "Tobs I need to tell you something. I was supposed to have a shoot and some meetings for Nike back home. They still want me to do it so they sent a team. I have to go do stuff all day tomorrow. I'm really sorry."

"Alex you don't have to be sorry. You didn't know this would happen and that I would be stuck here. If anything I'm sorry for making you be here."

"Tobin Heath!" Alex interrupted. "Don't you ever say that. There is no place I would rather be than here with you and nothing can change that. Now that we are together I will make whatever sacrifices I need to to be with you."

"I love you so much!" Tobin answered to her girlfriend. "I would be so lost without you." Then she leaned in and kissed Alex. Both women longed to deepen the moment. Alex leaned in on Tobin and put a hand on the midfielder's stomach. They kissed each other harder, but Tobin pulled away. 

"Lex not here." Tobin dropped her head into the crook of Alex's neck and Alex wrapped her arms around Tobin. "Let's go back inside." They stood and headed back inside, with their arms linked together. 

When they got back to the room Lauren was waiting for them. She had news that she had gotten a place all set up for them to watch the games. Tobin was a little upset that she was back already because she had something in mind for her and Alex. "That's great Chen! I think I want to try and shower because we still have some time before and its been a few days since I bathed." Lauren caught the hint and left to double check all their plans.

"Alex will you help me take a shower?" Tobin asked in a teasing voice. Alex grinned from ear to ear at the invitation. She grabbed a bag of hers and Tobin's clothes and they walked to the shower. 

As they got in the shower their lips met in a passionate and deep kiss. They continued to kiss and explore each other's bodies. Tobin moved her lips down Alex's neck and across her shoulder. Alex shuddered at the contact. She wrapped her arms around Tobin and picked her up in one motion. Then she pinned Tobin on the wall. 

"Lex stop!" Tobin called out desperately. Alex had hit Tobin harder against the wall than she had thought and Tobin was in pain. "Tobin are you okay? I'm really sorry!"

"It's okay Alex. Let's just finish up and get back to the room." Tobin tried to calm Alex. Alex got the soap and gently washed Tobin's hair. Tobin could tell Alex was scared of hurting her. "I didn't say not to touch me, I just said to slow down." Then Tobin wrapped her arms around the forward. They finished up in the shower and got dressed. Then they headed back to the room where Lauren was dozing. 

"Cheney!" Tobin yelled in an attempt to scare her. Lauren jumped awake at the sudden noise and Alex and Tobin laughed. "So what are we doing to watch these games?"

Lauren stood up in excitement. "Well have I got the surprise for you! Ladies please grab what you may need for a night of entertainment." Alex and Tobin looked on in confusion. "Okay just get what you want to be comfortable and relax." They grabbed their phones and sweatshirts. "Now please follow me!"

They walked down the hall and took the elevator up to the third floor and went into a meeting room. But the room no longer looked like an average meeting room. Lauren had pushed the table against the wall, pull down a projector screen, and pushed a long couch and comfy chair up towards the screen. Alex and Tobin looked in amazement. "And for one final touch, popcorn!" she said as she pointed to the packs of popcorn scattered across the table that also had a microwave on it. "I tried to bring candy too, but Dr. Patel didn't want you to have all the sugar."

"Cheney this is amazing! Thank you!" Tobin exclaimed. She ran to the couch and plopped down followed closely by Alex. Lauren set up the game and popped some popcorn. She sat in the chair beside the couch deciding to give the couple some space. 

The first game began and they were all on the edge of their seats watching the game. A few times popcorn went flying and they would all burst out laughing. They were all having a great time and for once there was no thought of the situation they were in. Neither Tobin or Alex was worried about any of the problems with health or the future. 

When the game ended they all cheered and high-fived. Since there was still about half an hour before the second game they stood up and stretched. Alex was surprised at how long Tobin had made it, but she could see that the older girl was getting tired. She didn't say anything though because she knew how much fun she was having. 

A few minutes into the game Tobin could feel her eyes getting heavy. She nestled farther into the couch and laid her head back. Alex saw an opportunity and went into Tobin's arms and her head on Tobin's chest. Tobin pulled Alex in tight and watched the game. 

After a little while, Alex felt Tobin's breathing get deeper and smiled as she knew Tobin had finally crashed. She stood and slid her arms under Tobin's legs and lifted her girlfriend. Lauren grabbed their stuff and they headed back to the room. Alex gently set Tobin down on the bed and pulled her shoes off. Alex slid into the bed and pulled the covers up over them, and Tobin didn't even budge. Alex mouthed 'goodnight' to Lauren as she left to go to the hotel. 

Alex put an arm around Tobin and let her rest on the forward's shoulder. She was happy to be close to Tobin and to feel her warmth on her skin. She fell asleep knowing that thing would be alright.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tough couple of days for Tobin. But things get better

Tobin woke up to someone tapping on her shoulder and whispering her name. She rolled over and there was an empty space next to her. Then she remembered that Alex was gone at a shoot all day and her mood damped. When she opened her eyes she found Lauren sitting next to the bed trying to wake her. 

"Morning Tobs! How did you sleep?" she asked as Tobin sat up, rubbed the sleep form her eyes, and shrugged. "Here's your breakfast. I'm supposed to tell you to eat it all before you go up for therapy."

Tobin looked down at the plate that Lauren had put in front of her. There was a pancake and some eggs and a cup of yogurt. Beside it there was a note:  
Morning babe! I'm sorry I couldn't be there when you woke up, but I'll see you before you fall asleep. I got this breakfast specially made for you so you better eat it all or I will have Cheney hurt you! Haha you know I'm kidding. Anyways I love you so much! Have a great day!  
Alex

When Tobin read the note a smile came across her face and she was happy. She thanked Lauren and ate all her breakfast. Then Kelsey came in a little while later to take Tobin to therapy. As they were walking Tobin noticed that she was feeling stronger. For the first time her head hurt a little less and her body felt a little better. She thought it could be from the therapy so she was happy to have another session. 

They got to the room with the single table, Tobin sat down and Kelsey started the music and told Tobin to lay down. She began working around Tobin's neck and back, breaking up the knots and smoothing out the tissue. The massage felt good on Tobin's sore neck. As she worked Kelsey found a really sore spot and she gently worked it so Tobin could relax. As she had the day before, she was able to get Tobin to fall asleep. She continued to work on Tobin until she was done and she let the midfielder rest. 

Tobin felt much lighter than she had in many days. She felt loose and like she could finally move some. She opened her eyes and she was still on the table. Tobin stood up and stretched for a minute then walked into Kelsey's office. 

"Hello there!" the therapist greeted her. "Have a seat please."

Tobin sat down and listened to what Kelsey had to say. "Tobin your progress is looking good so I think it would be good for you to get the surgery tomorrow. I've already told Dr. Coffman that I want you to do it." Tobin nodded in understanding. "If you're ready, we could do it tomorrow at two. What do you think?" Tobin just shrugged her shoulders.

Tobin kept her good eye locked on the floor. She wanted to have the surgery, but she was nervous about it. What if something went wrong and she would't be able to see right for the rest of her life? What would happen to her soccer career?

"Tobin!" Kelsey called out. Tobin snapped out of her head and rubbed her eyes. "Tobin what's wro-" "Nothing, let's do it!" Tobin cut in.

"You're nervous about it aren't you? About complications?" Tobin nodded. "Listen, this is the best option for you. There are rarely complications and you will get your sight back. It's okay to be nervous but you will be happy you did it." Kelsey explain, looking right into Tobin's eyes. This made Tobin feel a lot better. "All set then?" Tobin gave a firm nod of approval and stood to leave. "Tobin, " Tobin turned around, "I'll see tomorrow for pre-op!" Tobin smiled and went back to the her room.

Before she went back she decided to stop at the chapel. She sat there for a while and just tried to listen to God. She was scared and she knew that He knew she was. A few tears came to her eyes as she thought about the possibilities. She brought her hands to her eyes and offered up a prayer. Tobin was startled when her phone buzzed. She looked at the text messages and read the one from Lauren: Tobin where are you??

Tobin hadn't realized how long she had been gone. It was already mid afternoon. She walked back to her room and met Lauren. "Tobin where have you been? I was getting worried."

"Sorry Cheney I just needed to think and I got caught up in my head." Tobin replied. 

"I heard that you are good for surgery tomorrow." Tobin just shrugged. "Well that's good news." Tobin just nodded and got into bed. "What's wrong Tobs?"

"Nothing Chen I'm just tired. Im gonna try to sleep for a while. When will Alex be back?" It wasn't that she didn't want Lauren there, but right now all Tobin could think of was having Alex beside her to comfort her. 

"She should be back tonight around dinner. Get some rest." Lauren turned the light off and waited in the hall. 

A while later Alex walked through the hallway and found Lauren sitting outside the door. "Cheney what are you doing out here? Why aren't you in with Tobin?"

Lauren stood to explain. "She's been in a weird mood all day Alex. She went to therapy and Kelsey told her that she was going to have the surgery tomorrow afternoon. Then she was MIA for a fews hours. When she finally came back she immediately laid down and has been there since. Kelsey came by and told me that when they were talking about the procedure, Tobin seemed very nervous." Alex looked in at Tobin. "I think you need to go in there and talk to her Alex." 

Alex nodded to Lauren and went to Tobin's side. "Hey Tobs wake up." she gently nudged the resting girl. Tobin rolled and opened her eyes and let out a smile. "How did your day go? I heard you're good for the surgery tomorrow" Alex was trying to get Tobin to talk. Tobin didn't budge. "Tobin talk to me, it's okay to be scared."

"What if it doesn't work Lex? I can't lose my sight. How will I play soccer or enjoy life or get to enjoy you? I don't want to lose anything." Alex pulled Tobin into her and whispered into her ear. "You won't lose any of those things, especially not me. I am here with you and I have faith that everything will work out for you, okay?"

"Thank you Lex." Tobin sat up and Alex wiped the tear that was in the midfielder's eye. Then Alex had an idea. "Alright now that you're up how about we go out to dinner tonight? You know since you can't eat tomorrow because of the surgery."

Tobin smiled. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well I passed this cute little diner on my way back from the shoot. And you do like diners." Alex answered. Tobin nodded her head in approval. Lauren was going out to dinner with Jrue so it was just the two of them and they were fine with that. 

When they got there they both ordered breakfast and they sat and talked. Tobin was happy for the new change in scenery and Alex was happy to see Tobin so happy. When they got their food they ate in silence. They were headed out to the car when Tobin stopped Alex. 

"Lex can we stay out a little longer? I don't want to go back there yet." Tobin was enjoying her time with Alex and she was sick of being in the hospital. Alex looked at the time and it was only 8:30 so they had a while before Tobin needed to be back. "Sure! Do you just want to walk?"

They intertwined their hands and headed down the sidewalk. The night sky was comforting to Tobin and she leaned close to Alex. "Thank you so much for being here with me the last few days. It means a lot that you have been here with me!"

"Tobin nothing could make me ever want to be anywhere else than here with you, no matter what the circumstances are. Tomorrow we will face the challenges and you will come out on top I know it!" Alex pulled Tobin for a hug. She looked up to the sky and noticed how bright the stars were. She pulled Tobin off the path and they laid down and starred at the stars. Alex wrapped her arms around the midfielder's shoulders and Tobin nestled into Alex. She could feel herself starting to tire but she didn't want to leave. 

Alex could hear Tobin's breath get deeper as she fell asleep. Alex let herself stay there for a while, savoring the closeness they had. After a little while Alex stood and lifted Tobin into her arms, careful not to wake her. When they got back to the hospital she put Tobin to bed and sat beside her, nervous for the day ahead. 

They all let Tobin sleep as long as possible that day knowing that tension was going to be high and they had to wait until the afternoon for the surgery. Alex and Lauren were outside in the hall and even the nurses avoided going into the room. 

Eventually Tobin rolled over and was a little surprised that her room was so quiet. Alex saw Tobin sit up in her bed an went in to greet her. "Hey babe! How did you sleep?"

"I slept like a log. Sorry I fell asleep while we were out last night, I had a wonderful time." Tobin said. 

"No worries Tobs! I had fun too." Alex smiled at Tobin. "So um not to bring up the boring stuff, I wanted to let you know how today was going to run. It's about ten now and your surgery is at two. They are coming to take you to do pre-op stuff between twelve-thirty and one."

"So what do we do until then?" Tobin inquired. Alex began to pull something out from behind her. "Well I was thinking we could play this." She revealed that it was Monop Deal and Tobin's face lit up. "We have played it since before the game and I really need to kick your butt again."

"Oh it's on Morgan!" Tobin responded as she prepared herself for the game.

Before they knew it Lauren was knocking on the door frame telling them it was time for them to take Tobin. She came in and gave Tobin a big hug. "Everything will go great Tobin! Have faith!"

Alex was going with Tobin until they told her she couldn't. So Tobin got in the wheelchair with Alex's hand in hers. When they got to the OR door the nurse gave them a moment. Tobin stood and Alex pulled her into a bear hug. After a few seconds Tobin pulled away and looked into Alex's eyes. Then she put her hand on the back of Alex's neck and pulled into a kiss. "I Love you so much!" Tobin said as they broke the kiss. 

Alex looked at Tobin and could tell she was still nervous. "I promise everything is going to be okay, no matter what happens. The next time I see you, you'll be looking at me with two eyes. I love you!" She gave Tobin another peck on the cheek and they rolled the midfielder away. 

When they got to the room, Tobin had to undress and put a gown on. She didn't like being back in the gown but put it on anyway and waited for them to come back for her. The next thing she knew Kelsey was there with her. "Are you ready Tobin?" Tobin nodded. "Okay I'm going to take you to the operating room." Kelsey wheeled her into another room with a table in the middle and equipment around it. 

Tobin got up and laid down on the bed. Then there were several people around her attaching tubes and cables to her. Dr. Coffman came over to her and assured Tobin that it was a simple procedure and it would be okay. Kelsey stood beside her and told her she would be with her through the whole thing and just to be calm. Then a nurse put a mask over Tobin's mouth.

"Okay Tobin count down from ten for me." Kelsey requested. Tobin reached out her hand for Kelsey. She was nervous and Kelsey was her only form of support at that moment. Kelsey could see that Tobin was struggling so we bent down and whispered to Tobin, "just relax and it will be over before you know it. I'll be right here with the whole time and with you when you wake up, you don't need to be scared."

Tobin nodded and smiled in thanks. Kelsey wiped the stray tear from Tobin's cheek, grasped the midfielder's hand, and helped her count down. 

Tobin felt herself start to get fuzzy at seven and she was out at five, with one last squeeze of Kelsey's hand. Kelsey counted all the way down to zero then let the doctor and nurses do their work.

Alex sat in the waiting room and tried to pass the time. She flipped through all the magazines on the table and only wasted fifteen minutes. She was really antsy and didn't know what to do with herself. She started to pace the waiting room, when Lauren finally walked in. "Cheney where have you been?"

"I was in the chapel praying. Sorry I didn't tell you." she apologized. 

"Oh I just didn't know where you were. How long are they going to be in there?"

Lauren could sense that Alex was freaking out a little. She pulled Alex down to a chair and sat down next to the forward. "It's going to be a little while, you need to chill out. Everything is going to go fine." Alex took a deep breath and tried to relax. They sat in silence for the next hour, until Kelsey and Dr. Coffman walked into the waiting room. Both women shot out of their seats and walked to meet them. 

"Tobin did great! The surgery went very well." Dr. Coffman assured them. "She is being taken to recovery right now and we will be in and out to check on her."

"She'll be asleep for a little while from the anesthetic and she's got a large bandage over her eye for right now. We will be able to take it off by tomorrow and check her vision." Kelsey explained. "If you will follow me I can take you to her."

Alex and Lauren offered their thanks and breathed a sigh of relief and followed the therapist to Tobin. When they got to the room Alex practically ran to Tobin's side, kissed her on the head, and held her hand. Lauren thanked Kelsey and took a seat beside Tobin. They sat there waiting until started to stir. 

Alex felt Tobin's hand respond to her grip and she started to peek her good eye open. Her lips moved but no sound came out. Lauren grabbed her some water knowing she parched from the surgery. "Hey Tobin!" Alex called out.

The only thing Tobin was worried about was how it went. "Did everything go okay? Can I see?"

Alex smiled at her forwardness. "Dr. Coffman said everything went great. We will know about your sight by tomorrow, but you have to keep that bandage on until then. You did great babe!" Then Alex kissed Tobin on the cheek. Tobin turned her head so that her lips met Alex's. "I missed you!"

Tobin scooted over so Alex could lay with her. Alex wrapped her arms around Tobin and Lauren stood to put a movie in. They sat there and watched the movie making casual conversation. Eventually Tobin fell asleep in Alex's arms after the tiring surgery. Alex just held her knowing that tomorrow would be a new day with a new journey to start.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobin gets some long awaited news and she and Alex celebrate...sort of.

Tobin woke up feeling groggy from all the new medicine running through her veins. Alex was still laying next to her, quietly reading a book. Tobin nestled her head into Alex's side and Alex was a little startled that Tobin was awake. Alex slid down so that her eyes met Tobin's. They laid there for a while before Alex spoke, "I'm gonna go get the doctor and tell him you're up." She went to get out of bed, but Tobin grabbed her arm.

"No wait! Can we just lay here a little longer? I just want to be with you and feel your warmth." Alex smiled at Tobin's request. She got back in the bed and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. She put her head up against Tobin's and whispered, "don't worry I've got you, everything is going to be alright."

Tobin nestled herself even closer to Alex and allowed herself to relax. She didn't think about anything, not the surgery, not her sight, not her future. Just on being in the moment with the woman she loved. 

They fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms for a few more hours. Eventually Lauren had to wake them so a nurse could check Tobin's vitals. Then Dr. Coffman came in to remove the bandage and check Tobin's eye. Tobin sat up nervously as he out on some gloves, Alex and Lauren stood back to let the doctor do his work. 

He dimmed the lights then slowly peeled the bandage from Tobin's eye. Tobin kept her eyes closed tightly until Dr. Coffman finally spoke. "Tobin, I need you to open your eyes so I can check them."

Slowly Tobin peeked her eyes open. She blinked several times to get her vision back to normal. Her vision still seemed blurry, but the dark spot was gone. Dr. Coffman began running similar tests on Tobin's vision that he had done before. "Follow the pen." Tobin was able to make out the shape of the pen in several areas she hadn't before. When he asked her to reach out and touch the pen, she didn't miss. They ran through a few more tests and ended with a reading chart. "Tobin can you read any of the letters?" He held up the chart. Tobin could see the chart, but couldn't make out what letters there. She let out a frustrated 'no.'

"Ok that's all the tests we can do here. Things seem to be looking better, Tobin. I want you to rest until this afternoon then you can come up and we will set you up with a prescription to get you back to normal sight." Dr. Coffman explained. Tobin's face lit up with excitement and she had huge smile on her face. They all thanked the the doctor as he left. 

"This is wonderful news!" Alex exclaimed. Tobin couldn't agree more. She pulled off the sheets and shot out of the bed in excitement. After a few seconds she began to teeter. Alex immediately wrapped her arms around Tobin as she fell. "Whoa there Tobs! I think it's a little early for you to be jumping around. Take it easy."

"You're right. Thanks for catching me Lex!" Tobin responded. Alex smiled and replied, "Always!" Lauren quickly left the room, so not to interrupt the moment. 

Alex grasped Tobin's neck and pulled her into a deep kiss. Tobin's lips tingled at the smooth touch of Alex's lips on her own. She began to kiss Alex back and put her hands on the forward's hips and brought her closer. Alex's hands began to run down Tobin's body. Tobin broke the kiss to catch her breath and stop Alex. "Not here Alex." she whispered. Tobin wanted their moment to be special and only for them, not for others around them. Alex pulled Tobin into a hug and then lead her back into the bed. Then Alex left the room. 

A minute later Alex returned with a tray of food. "Breakfast is served!" She pulled off the cover revealing french toast with syrup, one of Tobin's favorite's. 

"Thanks Lex!" Tobin said as she grabbed her utensils to cut her food. 

Once Tobin had finished eating she wanted to take a shower. A nurse brought a wheelchair in for her. When Alex went to help Tobin she told her that she needed to stay. After Tobin left the nurse talked with Alex and Lauren.

"I just wanted to get you up to speed Tobin's progress" the nurse began. "Once she gets glasses this afternoon, Dr. Coffman wants her to have therapy with Kelsey to get her balance and some coordination back. Then we think she will be okay to go home."

"How long will she be in therapy? How long until she can get back on the field?" Lauren asked.

"We have been in contact with your staff. When Tobin is cleared you can return the your hotel until camp next week that way she can get as much therapy as she can. Then you will meet the team at camp and Tobin will be evaluated by the medical staff for how long till she can start playing again."

"Thank you nurse" Lauren replied. She and Alex say and waited for Tobin to return from the shower. 

A little while later Tobin returned in a clean change of clothes with wet hair. She got back in her bed and Alex took her hand. Tobin was a little worried by the seriousness in the room. "What's going on? What did they tell you guys?"

"After you get your prescription," Alex began. "Then you get to leave the hospital!"

Tobin let out all the air she had been holding in, in a gasp. "Alex! You scared the crap out of me! I thought something was wrong."

"Sorry I just wanted to mess with you!" Alex laughed. "But seriously isn't this wonderful news?!"

"Yeah I can't wait!" Tobin exclaimed. She really was happy to hear the news that she was going to be able to finally leave the hospital. "When can I start playing again?"

Alex hesitated a little before she answered Tobin's question. "Once you get discharged we are staying at the hotel for a few days. You are going to continue therapy with Kelsey until we leave for camp. The doctor said that once you get there you can be evaluated by Dawn and the medical staff and you will work with them on getting back."

"Well that's good. I'm excited to get back around people I know." Tobin said. 

A few hours passed and a nurse came in with a wheelchair. Tobin knew it was time for her eye appointment. She slowly stood and sat in the wheelchair. Alex nodded and took Tobin's hand when the nurse motioned for Alex to join them. Tobin happily accepted the forward's hand. She was kind of nervous for her appointment. What if there wasn't something that would bring her full vision back?

When they got into the exam room there was a nervous tension in the air as they waited for Dr. Coffman to come. After what seemed like hours they both jumped as they heard a knock on the door and the door opened. 

"Sorry to keep you ladies waiting!" Dr. Coffman apologized. "Shall we get started?" Both nodded in excitement. 

Tobin straightened up in the chair as Dr. Coffman prepared for the examination. Over the course of an hour he tried several different lenses and combinations and ran a bunch of tests on Tobin. Alex was by her girlfriend's side the entire time and she could tell the midfielder was getting a bit tired and frustrated. She gripped her hand in an effort to comfort her. Once all the tests were done Dr. Coffman excused himself from the room and said he could be back in a few minutes, he just had to check a few things. 

"This is ridiculous! I'm never going to be able to see again." Tobin ranted. 

"Don't say that, he is just checking something." Alex tried to calm Tobin down.

They sat in silence. Tobin was scared and Alex was getting nervous with what the results would show. Dr. Coffman came back with a Tobin's chart in his hands and Tobin and Alex held their breath.

"Tobin I want to check you with one more thing." he said, setting the lenses to their respective strengths. "Can I have you lean forward and look through these?" Tobin did as she was asked. "Now tell me, is it better or worse" has asked as he flipped two lenses. Tobin was shocked when she realized everything looked better. "Better!"

"Now read the lowest line you can." Tobin was able to read the last line with the new lenses and she read it aloud excitedly. Alex was beaming as she saw that Tobin was going to have full vision back. 

"Alright Tobin, it looks like this is your new prescription." Dr. Coffman explained. "We will get you set up with contacts and have you pick out some glasses, then you should be good as new." Tobin and Alex both smiles and nodded. "Once you're done here you should be good to leave as soon as you fill out the discharge papers. As far as limits go, I've cleared you visually and it will be up to your medical staff after you leave Kelsey in a few days." Dr. Coffman stood and they thanked him for everything he had done for Tobin. "Best of luck to you both, and I hope to see you back out there soon."

As Alex stood to go look at glasses, Tobin grabbed her and pulled her into a tight embrace. Alex avoided the hug and went right into kiss. Tobin happily obliged. 

"Thank you for everything!" the midfielder thanked as they broke the kiss. 

"I love you so much Tobin!" Alex replied. "Let's go get you some glasses so we can get out of here and get you back on the field." They left excitedly and quickly picked frames. Tobin would get her glasses and contacts before they left for camp. 

When they got downstairs, Lauren already had all Tobin's stuff packed up so all they had to do was fill out the paperwork. "I assume by the looks on your faces that everything went well?"

"Everything's great Cheney! I'm going to play again!" Tobin exclaimed, pulling her friend into a hug. Lauren rubbed her best friend'd back knowing how big a step in Tobin's recovery this was. She knew that everything was going to be okay. 

The women filled out all the paper work and were finally allowed to leave the hospital. Tobin had to sit in the wheelchair as the nurse took her to their waiting car. Alex was beside Tobin with her own bag as well as Tobin's, and Lauren followed them with Tobin's medications and any directions they had been given. 

When they got to the Tobin got in the back seat to let Alex and Lauren have the front. The other two women put the baggage in the trunk and thanked the nurse for everything. Alex slid into the back with Tobin and Lauren got in the drivers seat to go to the hotel. Alex looked at Tobin and could see she was tired, she offered her lap. Tobin accepted and before she could realize how tired she was, her eyes were shut and sleep was upon her. Alex sat with her girlfriend's head in her lap, stroking her smooth hair, the whole way to the hotel. 

Alex decided not to wake Tobin when they arrived so she carried the smaller girl upstairs, Lauren followed with the other contents of the car. Alex gently laid Tobin down on the bed and Lauren set down their luggage and headed to her own room after she and Alex agreed they would meet up later for dinner. Alex filled the space beside Tobin and flipped on a soccer game that was on tv. 

Hours later Tobin was still asleep and Alex and Lauren knew it was time for her to eat dinner. Alex turned on her side and started to nudge Tobin. "Tobin, baby wake up!" Tobin's eyes began open and she started to stretch out. "Come babe it's time for dinner."

Tobin sat up with a tired look on her face. "What are we doing for dinner?"

"Cheney and I were thinking we could walk down the street to the pizza joint. Does that sound okay to you?" Alex asked. Tobin nodded her head with a yawn, Alex laughed. "Are you still that tired?"

"Yeah I just feel wiped, but it's not like I did anything today." Tobin said. 

"You worked your brain really hard this afternoon. I bet you haven't focused that much on one thing for that long since before the accident." Alex explained. 

"Well I'm going to be doing it a lot more so I hope I get used to it soon." Tobin replied. 

"Don't worry I'm sure you will be getting stronger even before we leave for camp in a few days." Alex assured. Tobin just shrugged her shoulders. "Come on let's go, Cheney is waiting for us downstairs."

The three of them walked down to the restaurant and had some pizza. They talked and hung out for a while, until they all started to get tired. They walked back to the hotel and Tobin was glad they left when they did because she wasn't sure how much longer she could stay up. They said good night to Lauren and headed to their room. 

Tobin immediately fell onto the bed when they got upstairs. When Alex came out of the bathroom she smiled to herself at the sight of Tobin dozing on the bed. She kneeled over the girl until she opened her eyes. "At least take of your shoes and change your clothes before you fall asleep."

"I can't I'm too tired." Tobin said in a pathetic tone. Alex just eyed her. "Can you please help me Lex?" she whined. 

Without a word Alex began unlacing the midfielder's shoes and pulled her shoes and socks off. Then she put each of Tobin's arms through the arm holes of her sweatshirt and pulled it over her head. Tobin was no help, allowing her arms and legs to become heavy. After Alex slid Tobin's shirt off she leaned into a kiss. Tobin kissed back and pulled Alex closer. 

Tobin wrapped her arms around Alex. As their kiss deepened her hands found the skin of Alex's back. She let her hands search the forward's toned back and eventually pulled off her shirt. Alex let her body sink into Tobin's allowing their bodies to become one. They continued to kiss and explore each other's bodies and new excitement. 

Alex's fingers tingle at the touch of Tobin's unfamiliar skin. She has them on the small of Tobin's back and moves them along her back and up to the midfielder's hair. Alex was excited by the new step in their relationship and wanted it to continue. As she moved her hands back down Tobin's body her fingers lingered on the hem of Tobin's shorts. 

Tobin loved the feel of Alex's body. Her skin was so soft and yet so strong. She could tell Alex was eager. Tobin's breath hitched when she felt the forward's hands on the hem of her shorts. She wanted Alex so badly, but she was so tired she didn't know how long she could go and she didn't want to disappoint Alex. 

Tobin looked into Alex's eyes and gave a kiss that told Alex to continue. Alex pulled Tobin's shorts off and began to leave a trail of kisses down Tobin's neck and chest and paused on her stomach. Again Tobin's lost her breath under the weight of her girlfriend. She put her hands on Alex's sides and flipped her so she was on top. Tobin let her head rest on Alex's chest as she tried to catch her breath. 

Alex noticed that something wasn't quite right with Tobin when she flipped her. As Tobin brought her head down to Alex's chest she wondered what was up. Alex put her hands on Tobin's cheeks and lifted her head. "What's wrong Tobin?" Tobin ignored the question she began kissing Alex again to try to keep the moment going. As much as Alex wanted Tobin, she didn't want to push her. "Tobin stop!" she put one hand to Tobin's face and one pushed on her stomach. "Tobin, what's up?"

Tobin stopped and rest her head back on Alex's chest. She focused on holding back the coming tears and focus on Alex's heart beat. Alex could feel Tobin's body convulsing in her arms. She wrapped her arms around Tobin and was scared at what was going on. "Tobin talk to me please."

"I'm sorry Lex." She finally panted out. 

Alex lifted Tobin's head again and wiped way the tears. "What are you sorry about?"

"I want you so badly" she began. Alex continued to look into her eyes. "I am just so tired."

Alex brought Tobin's head back down to her "shh, shh it's alright. I love you so much. Just rest now." Alex rubbed circles around Tobin back to comfort her. 

"Thank you Lex. I love you too!" Tobin replied with a few kisses to the forward's chest. 

Alex held Tobin in her arms the rest of the night. Tobin quickly fell asleep to the sound of Alex's beating heart, but sleep never found Alex's mind. She stared at the ceiling and then down to the woman in her arms. No matter how bad Tobin was or how tired she could be, Alex would always be happy with her in her arms.


End file.
